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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28919946">know you better.</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/wabadabadaba/pseuds/wabadabadaba'>wabadabadaba</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>One Direction (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Asthmatic Marcel Styles, Awkward Flirting, Awkwardness, Data Analysis Marcel Styles, Domestic Fluff, Dry Humping, Falling In Love, Fluff, M/M, Making Out, Mild Smut, Second-Hand Embarrassment, Strangers to Lovers, Tattoo Artist Louis Tomlinson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 12:35:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>20,591</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28919946</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/wabadabadaba/pseuds/wabadabadaba</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It didn't help that oftentimes Niall and Zayn's other friend, Louis joined them and from all the stories Marcel has heard about Louis, he was positive they wouldn't get along. From their description, Louis was loud, annoying, and competitive. He liked to tease Niall and Zayn mercilessly and he was creative. Being a tattoo artist, Louis knew things about art that Marcel would simply never understand due to his analytical mindset. He was the complete opposite of Marcel and Marcel didn't think he would ever last in a social setting where he had to be with Louis.</p><p>or the one where Marcel and Louis fall in love.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Marcel/Louis Tomlinson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>117</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>know you better.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello everyone! I hope everyone is safe, healthy and happy. I never thought I would write a Marcel/Louis fic and yet here we are. This is just a big fall of fluff, basically. I hope you enjoy. </p><p>As always, a huge thank you to my platonic soul mate and beta Tori. I surprised Tori with this when I am already working on a few others and she dived in head first with me. I will be forever thankful for her help.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The heat from his car contrasted harshly with the cold weather outside, causing a sharp shiver to run the length of Marcel's lanky form. He never grew out of his awkward phase; his body grew and everybody told him he would get used to it, he would grow into his legs or his hands that felt too big for his body. Yet, at twenty seven years old Marcel didn't have a handle on the way his limbs moved. The second Marcel walked into his building, his boot slipped and he nearly split in two. His cheeks turned red as he ignored everyone's looks, he pushed his thick rimmed glasses further up on his nose and ran a hand through his hair. With a deep breath,  Marcel continued to walk into the building and his desk.  Marcel dropped into his chair and grasped onto the desk when his chair slid back further than he expected. </p><p>"Hey Marce," Niall appeared next to his desk with a big grin. "How are you?"</p><p>"Good, thank you," Marcel took his scarf off and faced Niall. "How are you, Niall? How was your weekend?"</p><p>"Oh man," Niall leaned against the desk so as subtly as he could, Marcel pushed some of his work back so Niall didn't mess it up. "It was ace, I wish you had come with us. Louis got Zayn so drunk he got a new tattoo."</p><p>"Doesn't he already have a bunch?" Marcel questioned. </p><p>"Yes," Niall cackled. </p><p>Marcel shook his head and listened as Niall described the test of the weekend. Niall, bless him, was the one of the few people at his job who continued to get Marcel to hang out with them outside of work. Marcel liked Niall, he was funny and boisterous and always knew how to make people happy. He didn't mind hanging out with him and their other colleague, Zayn. Zayn intimated the hell out of Marcel, despite having similar interests in literature. Zayn was so effortlessly cool and mysterious. </p><p>Marcel had been witness to a lot of people saying so to Zayn and linked it to the complexion of his skin which always angered Zayn and anyone who was around. Zayn's mysteriousness had nothing to do with the color of his skin, it was the fact that he was as big of a nerd as Marcel beyond his tough exterior. He has always been a private person and only indulges in stories of his life with people he trusts and there aren't a lot of them. Marcel is fortunate enough to be one of them and yet, he still has a hard time going out with Niall and Zayn. It didn't help that oftentimes Niall and Zayn's other friend, Louis joined them and from all the stories Marcel has heard about Louis, he was positive they wouldn't get along. </p><p>From their description, Louis was loud, annoying, and competitive. He liked to tease Niall and Zayn mercilessly and he was creative. Being a tattoo artist, Louis knew things about art that Marcel would simply never understand due to his analytical mindset. He was the complete opposite of Marcel and Marcel didn't think he would ever last in a social setting where he had to be with Louis. Marcel was the definition of an introvert; simply going to work and a casual night with his sister wore Marcel out. Being around Niall, Zayn and Louis seemed like an impossible task. Which is why Marcel declined nine out of ten invitations to hang out with them. It meant every Monday, Niall and sometimes Zayn, were at his desk with new antidotes from the prior weekend. </p><p>Niall finally left him alone and Marcel relaxed into his chair. He reorganized his desk from when Niall messed it up and checked his to do list from yesterday. He added a few things he needed to get done for the day and felt himself relax into the routine of work. Being a data analyst meant hours hunched at his desk, collecting numbers and information, jotting down notes and writing reports. On good days, it meant making charts which was always Marcel's favorite part of the job. Not a lot of people understood collecting data and why it was important and definitely not how it could be <em>fun</em>. Marcel enjoyed taking information from the companies he was contacted through and conceptualizing the information so people could understand better: hence making charts. </p><p>Marcel lost himself in his work and it was one of those days where he was sad when he had to go home. He wrote a few things down he needed to complete first thing in the morning and turned off his computer as he bundled back up to face the harsh winter evening. When Marcel got to his modest two story home, he took his boots off in the foyer and took off his scarf, hat and jacket. </p><p>"Dusty," Marcel called for his black and white cat. Marcel dropped his bag in the kitchen and untucked his button down and vest from his pants. "Dusty, I know you're hungry!" Marcel called into the house.  Knowing Dusty would come into the kitchen at the sound of the cat food tin opening, Marcel made quick work of getting Dusty's food ready. "Right on time," Marcel smiled as he set the bowl down and pet his cat before standing back up.</p><p>It was tough for Marcel to move out of his childhood home, and for many reasons. One of them being that he didn't know how to cook for only one person. Years later and Marcel still hadn't mastered the technique. It meant every other night or so he was eating leftovers. Tonight was gumbo which was better the day after anyway. Marcel poured himself a glass of wine and settled down in front of the TV. Schitt's Creek was playing in the background as he scrolled Reddit and commented on a few posts in the data is beautiful subreddit. Other than work and a few childhood friends he keeps up with from time to time, chatting with strangers anonymously via reddit about data or charts or scientific journals or romance novels is who Marcel spent his time talking to. His mom and sister often told him it seemed lonely, especially when he decided to invest in his three bedroom, two bathroom starter family home. Marcel wouldn't lie to them, it was lonely but he wouldn't tell them the truth that he was bothered by it. Marcel lived a comfortable life with a good job, a home, and enough acquaintances to fill his social quota. He was fine, there wasn't anything he was missing or dreaming of. </p><p>◇</p><p>It was Friday evening and Gemma heard that Niall and Zayn asked him to join them for drinks. She wouldn't let Marcel not go and he didn't want to go <em>alone</em> so now he was in the back of an Uber, sat next to his sister and on the way to a bar. Somehow Marcel let Gemma talk him into wearing something a little more, well, risqué. She forced him to wear one of his many buttons up but wouldn't let him button it up all the way. She bargained for four buttons undone but he only did two, and even that felt like it was too much. He paired the black and white striped shirt with high waisted flared pants and his typical boots. </p><p>When they got to the bar, Gemma pushed her way through the crowd with Marcel's wrist in hers until they got to the table Zayn and Niall secured for the group. </p><p>"The Styles!" Niall grinned. "My favorite siblings!"</p><p>Marcel giggled under his breath as Gemma raised an eyebrow. "How drunk are you?"</p><p>"Not enough," Niall shrugged. "What do you guys want?" </p><p>"Gin and tonic for me," Gemma answered. "And he will take a martini."</p><p>Zayn raised an eyebrow at Marcel but he just blushed and moved around in his seat as Niall left to get their drinks. Gemma sent him a glare and gave him a look that said <em>relax</em>. Marcel cleared his throat and tucked his hands into his lap and leaned forward.</p><p>"Niall told me you got a new tattoo," Marcel spoke up. </p><p>Zayn groaned and nodded. "Yeah, fucking Louis. He knows how to push my buttons. Luckily it's on my thigh so no one will see it."</p><p>"What is it?" Marcel laughed. </p><p>Zayn sighed and he looked positively embarrassed as he took a sip of his drink before answering. "A burrito, like kind of cartoon looking with a little face."</p><p>Marcel covered his mouth to try and silence the embarrassing honking laugh from escaping. "That's cute!"</p><p>Zayn huffed and rolled his eyes. "I'm going to get it covered." </p><p>"Awe," Marcel frowned and giggled when Zayn rolled his eyes again. </p><p>"Where did you get it done at?" Gemma questioned. "And why?" Gemma laughed.</p><p>"Our mate Louis' place. He is a tattoo artist and has equipment at his house. I honestly don't know," Zayn laughed. "I was drunk and Louis was being Louis and kept arguing with me about what was better, burritos or tacos and that somehow turned into a bet and now I have a burrito tattooed on my thigh."</p><p>"Well burritos are better," Marcel shrugged. </p><p>"No," Zayn groaned. "Not you too. I can't believe you agree with Louis and you haven't even met him yet."</p><p>Marcel simply shrugged and felt relief when Niall returned with their drinks. He didn't know what else to add to the conversation and he knew that Niall would get them on a topic they could all discuss. It was easy to fade into the background and Marcel only piped up when Gemma pinched his leg. When he finished his drink and he realized Gemma did as well, he silently left the table to get them a refill. Of course as luck would have it, Marcel was a few feet from the bar when he tripped over something, could have been his own feet or someone else’s (realistically it was probably nothing) and stumbled forward. He quickly started to apologize as he knocked into people’s shoulders and was suddenly bumping into a hard force. Marcel pushed his glasses up his nose and could feel himself blushing and begin to sweat from the embarrassment. </p><p>“Oops,” Marcel blushed. “I’m so sorry.”  The force he ran into was a beautiful man, not much shorter than him with feathery brown hair and beautiful blue eyes that were shining under the dim bar lights. </p><p>“Hi,” the man smiled. “Are you alright?” </p><p>The man squeezed Marcel’s arm from where he must have steadied him, causing a rush of heat and embarrassment to burn through his veins. “Yes, thank you. I’m sorry again.”</p><p>“No harm, no foul. Didn’t even make me spell my drink,” the man grinned. </p><p>“Cheers,” Marcel replied and shook his head, he was so lame it almost hurt. </p><p>The man smiled and shook his head. "Yeah, cheers. Anyway, I should go find my friends. Try not to trip over nothing again, alright?"</p><p>Mortification swept over Marcel at the realization the incredibly attractive man had witnessed the whole thing. It wasn't the first time something like that happened and it certainly wouldn't be the last but it didn't make the embarrassment any less. Marcel finally ordered the drinks and carefully, very carefully walked over to the table and was about to celebrate himself for not tripping when he saw the beautiful man from earlier sitting with Niall and Zayn. Marcel's boot skidded against the ground and in record time the stranger was in front of Marcel and taking the drinks from him as Marcel stumbled forward. </p><p>"Thank you," Marcel mumbled as he sat down next to Gemma. </p><p>"You okay?" She asked, tilting her head towards him to check in with him. She knew Marcel could get worked up over things like this and always felt it necessary to check in. </p><p>Marcel shrugged and took a sip of his drink as Niall spoke up. "I remember you telling us you were on the soccer team in school, Louis but I didn't realize your instincts were still that good."</p><p>Ah, so this was the infamous Louis that Marcel never wanted to meet. He suddenly wanted the floor of the bar to swallow him whole. </p><p>“That was less of the athleticism and more of the growing up in a house with a shit ton of siblings and having to be prepared for any type of spill or fall,” Louis glanced at Marcel and sent him a wink which caused Marcel to blush <em>again</em> and sink into the booth. </p><p>“I know the feeling,” Gemma teased, nudging Marcel with her elbow.</p><p>Louis looked between the two curiously. “Did you grow up in a big family too?”</p><p>“No,” Gemma laughed. “Just with this one,” Gemma threw her arm around Marcel’s shoulders and suddenly he was ten years old again being forced to hang out with Gemma and her friends that certainly didn’t want him around.</p><p>“I’ve known your brother for about,” Louis looked at the imaginary watch on his wrist as he shrugged. “Five minutes and can see how you would grow to learn those skills as well.” </p><p>Marcel didn’t think Louis was being mean, he did witness him tripping twice in a short span of time but the interaction was making him feel small. He already didn’t want to come out and he especially didn’t want to meet Louis and now Louis was making fun of him and he felt like shit. </p><p>“No matter,” Louis shrugged again. “My little brother has two left feet, maybe it’s a little brother thing.” </p><p>It was a nice enough thing to say and Marcel could tell Louis was trying to, well Marcel didn’t know what Louis’ intentions were. Marcel stayed quiet though and let everyone else at the table fill the silence with banter. Marcel sipped his martini and took his phone out of his pocket to have something to do. He knew it was rude to be on his phone in a group setting but even if he wanted to include his input, the conversation was moving so fast that he was afraid to try to speak up and be talked over or ignored. </p><p>“What are you looking at?” </p><p>Marcel looked up to see Louis trying to weasel his way into Marcel’s side. Marcel instinctively moved over so Louis could sit next to him. Marcel turned his phone screen to show Louis as he answered his question. “Charts subreddit.” </p><p>“What?” Louis asked with a laugh. “What is a subreddit?” </p><p>“Reddit is like, uhm, well like a discussion website? It has these different topics of all sorts of things called subreddits. So this one I’m looking at is specifically for charts.”</p><p>“Charts,” Louis repeated. </p><p>“Mhm,” Marcel hummed as he scrolled. </p><p>“Oh, that one is pretty,” Louis spoke up, pointing to a chart with a rainbow effect. “What is that a chart of?”</p><p>Marcel clicked the post and brought the phone closer so he could read the post. “Someone recorded their mood everyday for the last year.”</p><p>“Huh,” Louis hummed. “So you like charts?”</p><p>“Yes,” Marcel answered simply, there was no point in denying it and he wasn’t going to get into it with Louis. </p><p>“Niall and Zayn have talked about you a lot, said you were really smart and kind of a nerd,” it was a fair description, Marcel couldn’t be offended. “Looking at charts is quite nerdy.”</p><p>Marcel’s skin prickled. Louis said it in the same tone he used earlier and Marcel wanted to think Louis was teasing him in a friendly way but they weren’t friends. Everything Marcel knew about Louis was secondhand but he heard enough stories to know that Louis loved to tease people. Marcel was old enough and confident in himself enough to not sit in a bar and be mocked by someone he didn’t know for being a nerd. He had enough of that in school and he wasn’t going to take it now. </p><p>“Right,” Marcel locked his phone and pocketed it. He turned towards Gemma and placed his hand on her arm. “I’m going to go, will you get home alright?”</p><p>“Already?” Gemma frowned and Marcel nodded. Gemma glanced between Louis and Marcel and sighed. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. Do I need to say or do anything?” Gemma added quietly. </p><p>Marcel offered a small smile and shook his head. “Thanks for inviting me guys but I’m going to head out,” Marcel interrupted Niall and Zayn who both started booing and begging him to stay. He turned towards Louis who looked a mix of confused and concerned. “Excuse me.”</p><p>“Where are you going?” </p><p>“Nerds can’t be out past midnight,” Marcel shrugged as he walked past Louis. </p><p>Once he was outside, Marcel took a few deep breaths and ran a hand through his hair as he tried to calm his racing nerves. He didn’t like confrontation and he didn’t confront Louis, his response was lame at best. It was the idea of confronting him, having to defend himself that made him feel so nervous and on edge. More than that, he was tired. He was tired of having to defend himself, or having to prove himself to people who thought he was less than. It was one of the reasons he never hung out with people; he knew he wasn’t like the average person his age and after nights like this, he didn’t know why he still tried. </p><p>Much later that night when Marcel finally got a text from Gemma that she was home safe and sound, Marcel finally got ready for bed after his usual night time routine. Just before falling asleep, he received another message from Gemma. </p><p>
  <em>I’m sorry you felt like you had to leave early. I know it doesn’t help now but Louis felt bad for calling you a nerd. He seemed genuine, maybe you can give him another chance? Don’t let him get you down though Marce, we both know you’re the superior Styles. Love you, little bro.</em>
</p><p>◇</p><p>Marcel tucked his fingers into the collar of his shirt and tugged it away from himself. It felt like someone turned the heat all the way up and Marcel was going to die of heat stroke. The meeting he had been preparing for the last two weeks finally arrived and Marcel was nervous. His shirt felt restricting, his glasses kept sliding and his hands were sweaty. He looked down at his computer where he had some notes written down and wiped his hands on his trousers and cleared his throat. Marcel tried to smile as the last person they were waiting on walked into the room. With a deep breath, Marcel stood up and faced the room. </p><p>Marcel was positive he hit a new record of the number of times he stumbled over his words. He managed to get through the meeting and impressed his boss and the client so that was what mattered in the end. When he left the meeting room, he headed straight for his desk so he could go home but Niall stopped him. </p><p>"Z and I are taking you for drinks for smashing that presentation. You can't get out of it so don't even try," Niall grinned.</p><p>"Niall," it wasn't quite a whine but almost. </p><p>"Nope," Niall smiled. "It's happening. Now come on, get your things. Zayn already headed out of here early." </p><p>"This really isn't necessary Niall," Marcel told him as Niall ushered him out of the office. "I was a mess in there."</p><p>Niall rolled his eyes. "Nah. I mean you stumbled over your words but we could hardly tell. You gave the information in a clear, concise way and it made the client understand his business better and feel smart. You did a good job, Marcel, you always do." </p><p>Marcel blushed under the compliments and mumbled a thank you. Marcel ended up driving to the bar with Niall in the passenger seat flipping through songs faster than Marcel could make out any of the melodies. When they got to the bar, Marcel was disappointed to see that Louis was there as well, already sitting next to Zayn. </p><p>"There he is," Zayn grinned. "The man of the hour."</p><p>Marcel blushed and shook his head. "It was just a presentation, it's not like I got a promotion or anything."</p><p>Both Zayn and Niall rolled their eyes as Zayn spoke up. "A presentation that you have been working on for weeks. You killed it, Marce, you deserve to celebrate."</p><p>"First round on me," Louis spoke up. </p><p>Marcel finally looked at Louis and shook his head. "That's unnecessary, Louis."</p><p>Louis ignored him in favor of asking what Niall and Zayn wanted to drink before he stood up. "Help me?" He asked Marcel. Marcel nodded and got up as well and tried not to get flustered when Louis put his hand on the small of his back as they walked to the bar. Louis quickly ordered their drinks and turned to face Marcel fully as they waited. "I wanted to apologize for the last time I saw you. I still feel awful, I didn't mean anything by my comment. I don't think being a nerd or doing nerdy things is lame or bad," Louis tried to explain. "Still, the word has a negative connotation and I'm sorry." </p><p>"Thank you for apologizing," Marcel told him earnestly. "I just," Marcel sighed as he pushed up his glasses. "It gets tiring hearing it, you know? Like I have heard it all my life and it's just,"</p><p>"It must get old," Louis added. "Even more reason for me to not have said anything."</p><p>"I mean it helps you didn't mean it in a negative way but I didn't know that at the time," Marcel shrugged. "I really do appreciate your apology."</p><p>"Are we okay?" Louis asked, fiddling with the hem of his shirt.</p><p>"Yeah," Marcel smiled. "I mean you did buy me a drink," he grinned.</p><p>"Had to sweeten the apology," Louis teased. "Congratulations by the way. Zayn was telling me about the meeting before you got here. It seemed like a lot of work."</p><p>"It was," Marcel agreed, running a hand through his hair. "It was rewarding though helping the client realize what all the research meant."</p><p>Before Louis could respond, their drinks were ready and together they carried them to the table, where Niall and Zayn were in a heated debate over something that happened at work. "So Zayn was saying you collect data for businesses and analyze it to help them understand their businesses better? It seemed very confusing."</p><p>"It's confusing to explain but that's basically it. With the data I can help businesses see increase in business or flaws or patterns of any kind. My favorite is when I get to do all this research and learn about a business and make a chart or several charts so the client can see what I found in ways they can understand. Seeing it in a chart makes the data tangible, you know?" Marcel flushed when he realized he was on a bit of a tangent and he looked down at his hands. "Sorry, I tend to get a little over enthusiastic when I'm talking about things I like."</p><p>"Hey," Louis reached out and touched Marcel's hand. "Don't apologize for that, it's a refreshing quality to have. Do you ever post your own charts on that subreddit?"</p><p>Marcel felt his heart race knowing Louis remembered what they were looking at the last time they saw each other. "I have, I obviously changed the information but yeah."</p><p>"Can I see?" Louis asked, leaning over the table more.</p><p>"You want to see?" </p><p>"Please," Louis reassured with a smile. </p><p>Marcel took his phone out of his pocket and hoped Louis didn't notice his shaking hands. Louis was just as beautiful as he remembered and it meant a lot that he apologized and was putting effort into talking to him. After his comments the last time, Marcel felt like his assumptions of Louis were correct. Now that Louis apologized and was trying to befriend Marcel, it was relieving and terrifying. Marcel always had a hard time making friends, let alone extremely attractive people like Louis.</p><p>"Niall, move your fat ass over so I can sit next to Marcel," Louis spoke up which earned an eye roll from Niall but he moved anyway. Louis sat down next to Marcel and smiled up at him, Marcel could see the crinkled by his eyes and it made Marcel's chest hurt. "Now I can properly see. Come on then."</p><p>"Okay but I can talk for hours about this stuff so please just shut me up when it gets boring."</p><p>"It won't," Marcel gave Louis a look causing him to sigh. "Okay, fine. I will."</p><p>Marcel showed him an array of charts he made; an evolution of loss of business, number of consumers across the United States, and even a flowchart of how Marcel collects his data. Every time Marcel felt like he was talking too much or was boring Louis, he would ask another question or urge Marcel to keep talking. He felt giddy and <em>seen</em> under Louis' attention and he couldn't help but lap it up and marvel in it.</p><p>"Okay," Niall finally interrupted. "No more talk about work."</p><p>Marcel immediately locked his phone and mumbled an apology as he fell back against the back of the couch. Louis reached out under the table and squeezed Marcel's thigh before removing his hand. </p><p>"It's not Marcel's fault he finally got me interested in what you lot do," Louis told Niall. "You make it sound as boring as your life, which to be fair, isn't very hard to do," Louis teased.</p><p>"Oh ha ha," Niall rolled his eyes. "We all know Marcel is better than us but still, no more talk of work."</p><p>Marcel didn't spare a glance at Louis, he was afraid of what he would see so he pocketed his phone and took a sip of his drink he neglected in favor of talking to Louis. He added to the conversation when he could but similarly to the other times Marcel has hung out with his friends, conversation moves too fast for him to feel comfortable adding anything. Louis did his best to include Marcel which was appreciated but after a few hours at the bar, Marcel was ready to go home and unwind. </p><p>"I'm going to head out," Marcel spoke up when there was a rare lull in the conversation.</p><p>"Already?" Louis frowned. </p><p>"Yeah," Marcel nodded and before he could come up with an excuse, Niall was speaking up.</p><p>"This isn't anything new," Niall giggled. "Marcy always leaves early before the real fun happens."</p><p>Marcel hunched over and gave a weak shrug. "Sorry."</p><p>Louis moved out of the bench and downed his beer. "I should get going too, actually. Bye guys." Before Marcel could say anything, Louis wrapped his fingers around his wrist and was leading him to the front of the bar. "Niall is drunk but that's no excuse to make you feel bad for leaving," Louis spoke as he dropped his grip from Marcel's wrist. </p><p>The skin where Louis touched him was tingling and Marcel felt giddy again. "Right, I know. It's just annoying you know, like the nerd thing. I know I go home early but I like falling asleep early."</p><p> "You shouldn't feel bad about that," Louis assured him. "The sky is blue, you like going to sleep early, it is what it is," Louis shrugged. </p><p>Marcel enjoyed Louis' company and he liked talking to him, he wanted to ask for Louis' number but he was nervous. Maybe Louis was just being kind, maybe he heard about how socially awkward Marcel is that Louis took pity on him and talked to him. The thought of asking for Louis' number and to be rejected was too embarrassing to even do. His skin felt hot, his cheeks were turning pink and his hands were sweaty.</p><p>"Well uhm," Marcel mumbled as he began to walk away. "Have a good night."</p><p>Louis smiled at him and gave him a small wave. "Goodnight Marcel."</p><p>The next morning, Marcel woke up to a few Instagram notifications which is completely weird and a text from Gemma that read <em>why did Louis Tomlinson stalk your Instagram?</em> It was too early to deal with it though so he ignored it while he got ready for work. Marcel didn't do anything about it until he was at his desk with a fresh cup of coffee which was certainly helping him wake up. The first thing Marcel did was text his sister back. </p><p>
  <em>I do not know. How did you know he stalked my Instagram? Did YOU stalk my Instagram?</em>
</p><p>Next, Marcel opened his Instagram which was pretty boring. It was mostly pictures of Dusty, his family or nature of some sort. He didn't have an answer for Gemma, he wanted an answer himself. He had a new follower; @tommoink and he liked a few recent pictures Marcel posted. Marcel didn't think Louis stalked him per se, but Marcel was definitely confused on how Louis found him in the first place. Marcel followed Louis back and did a cursory scroll through his instagram; it was a lot of pictures of his work, his family and his dog. Marcel worried his bottom lip between his teeth as he started a message to Louis.</p><p>
  <em>You made my sister think you are stalking me and I got to tell you, Louis, it doesn't look good. </em>
</p><p>Marcel put his phone face down on the desk and took a deep breath. It was a good message, it was funny and light weight. It gave Louis a chance to explain himself. Now came the hard part, which was for Marcel to put it out of his mind and work.  It was easier said than done, Marcel ended up locking his phone in his drawer to get work done. He didn't get it out until lunch where he stayed at his desk so he could stay out of the way of other people. </p><p>
  <em>First of all, why are you messaging me at such an ungodly hour? Second of all, not quite stalking. Well. Maybe. I found you via Niall. So sorry, except not really. I wanted to ask for your number last night but I didn't so here we are.</em>
</p><p>Marcel dropped his phone on his desk and swallowed the food in his mouth and took a gulp of water. Louis Tomlinson wanted his number. Marcel's, nerdy, lame Marcel with his too thick glasses and over enthusiasm. Marcel tugged his collar from his neck and lifted his phone again to text his sister. </p><p>
  <em>Louis Tomlinson wanted to ask for my number. What do I do?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>If you want to give him your number then do it. If you don't then don't. I'm coming over tonight either way to talk about this. </em>
</p><p>Marcel groaned but he was thankful for Gemma, he would need her opinion and guidance. He didn't know what to do now, he didn't want to ignore Louis but he didn't have the time to consult with Gemma about the situation and there was no way he was going to talk to Zayn or Niall about Louis. He knew he didn't want to leave Louis hanging without a response. He didn't know if he wanted to give Louis his number but he could reply. </p><p>
  <em>Eight am isn't an ungodly hour, it's a perfectly normal time. At least I didn't message you when I woke up at five am.</em>
</p><p>It was good as it was going to get. Marcel dropped his phone in the drawer again and finished his lunch quickly and got back to work. By the time he was off work, he had another message from Louis but he chose to ignore it until he talked to Gemma. Once he was home, Marcel took his time undressing and putting away his clothes neatly. He changed into an oversized sweater, joggers and fluffy socks since his feet ran cold. Halfway through cooking dinner, Gemma arrived and made herself comfortable in the kitchen with a glass of wine. </p><p>"Spill," Gemma spoke. </p><p>Marcel rolled his eyes. "Do you not have any decorum?"</p><p>Gemma rolled her eyes and picked up Marcel's phone from the counter. "Is your password still the same?"</p><p>"Yeah," Marcel answered as he pulled the grilled chicken dish out of the oven.</p><p>Marcel could hear her hum and awe behind him and he wondered what she thought of their very short interaction so far. There wasn't much to go on, Marcel never replied after lunch and the conversation wasn't exactly riveting or groundbreaking by any means. Still, it could lead to something riveting or groundbreaking and that is what Marcel was so nervous about. </p><p>"Well?" Marcel asked once their plates were filled and wine glasses topped off. </p><p>"I want to know why he didn't ask for your number. I mean one of two things happened, either you left before he could or he was nervous."</p><p>Marcel scoffed and laughed at the idea. "No way he was nervous, probably thought better of it. And we left at the same time, actually," Marcel added with an eye roll. </p><p>"Ah," Gemma smiled. "So he was probably nervous. That's cute. I mean, look Marcel, you've done well so far. Do you think you will give him your number?"</p><p>Marcel shrugged. "I don't know if I'm ready for that. We've only talked a little bit. He is nicer than I imagined he would be but I don't know," Marcel trailed off. </p><p>Gemma smiled kindly and nodded. "It's okay Marcel, why don't you reply and just ignore the number thing and if he asks again explain that you aren't ready. Its a good test to see if he is a douche or not by how he responds."</p><p>Marcel laughed and nodded. "I suppose you're right, I will respond after dinner."</p><p>"He is your type," Gemma commented as she scrolled through Louis' Instagram. "And he does incredible work, maybe I will finally get that tattoo for mom and go to him."</p><p>Marcel gasped and tried to cover it up by a cough. "Uhm,  right, yeah you should and I don't have a type."</p><p>Gemma laughed and rolled her eyes. "You do and that's okay."</p><p>Marcel huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Do not," he mumbled. </p><p>Gemma smirked and held up a finger. "James Barkley in first grade. He had blue eyes and always got in trouble," Gemma held up another finger. "Scott uh, Scott Marshall! You were about ten and he had brown hair and blue eyes, he was also mischievous. Cody Dalton in high school, he was rough around the edges, he was a skateboarder, and he had a few tattoos. Who am I missing?" Gemma frowned. "Oh! Dustin-"</p><p>"Okay!" Marcel yelled. "That's enough," he blushed. "I get the point."</p><p>Marcel took his phone from Gemma and reread what Louis sent earlier in the day. <em>5am? Fuck that, nope. Nope. You are a proper adult then. Good job, wake up early, go to bed early. You probably read the paper, not just the comics. He did in fact read the paper and not just the comics</em>. It was unsettling that Louis could read Harry so well. He wondered if Louis was just thinking of the most stereotypical nerd thing and hoping it stuck. The familiar sense of wanting to be different crept it's way into Marcel's mind and he shifted uncomfortably. </p><p>"Hey," Gemma spoke quietly. "What's wrong?"</p><p>"I'm predictable and that's boring, isn't it? I just wish there was something <em>different</em> about me."</p><p>"What brought this on?" Gemma asked and Marcel was forever grateful that his sister didn't reassure him and went straight to the point.</p><p>"I just," Marcel sighed. "I was thinking about Louis' message and wondered if he could really read me or if I'm just stereotypically a nerd. Which I suppose I am, you know?" Marcel pushed his glasses further up his nose. "It's just not very exciting, is it? People like spontaneity, adventure, excitement. If things go south then I have an asthma attack. So," Marcel rambled. "I don't know."</p><p>"It's okay to feel like this about yourself. I mean, we all have insecurities right? Someone is going to fall in love with you just the way you are. You aren't an ugly duckling who needs a makeover. People like people who are <em>genuine</em>," Gemma smiled reassuringly. "And you Marcel are as genuine as they come. Don't let anyone make you feel bad about yourself, okay?"</p><p>Marcel sniffled and nodded. "Okay, yeah. Okay. Let's talk about something else."</p><p>As they continued to eat, Gemma told Marcel about the new article she was writing. It sounded interesting and on any other night, he would have been asking questions and even offering up suggestions. Tonight, however, he was distracted and thinking of what to say to Louis. He wanted to keep the conversation going and he wanted to appear interesting without pretending to be someone he wasn't. </p><p>"I see you are dreaming about Louis," Gemma grinned as she got up from the table with her empty plate. "I'm taking some leftovers and cookies and then I will be out of your hair." </p><p>Marcel tried not to blush and dropped his phone on the table to help his sister. "I'm sorry, I have been a terrible host." </p><p>Gemma turned around enough so Marcel could see her eye roll and continued to dig around his cabinets for the right tupperware. "Marce, we both know that that isn't true and even more than that, I'm your sister. You can't be a host to your family. Besides I got what I wanted out of the evening, a free meal and leftovers." Marcel could only watch as Gemma moved around his kitchen and got her coat and purse. She gave him a hug and kissed his cheek. "I know you will overthink what to say to Louis. If you need help, I will help you and I won't even mock you."</p><p>Marcel laughed and pushed his glasses up his nose. "Thanks Gem. I'll talk to you later and not about Louis."</p><p>"We'll see," she grinned before leaving his house. </p><p>Marcel waited to close the door until Gemma was safely in her car and pulling out. He had an idea of what to say to Louis and he wanted to finally respond but he needed to clean the kitchen. He typically cleaned as he cooked but Gemma made a mess when she was leaving and Marcel needed to wipe down the table. Cleaning and tidying his house brought a sense of calm over him so before he could overthink it, he finally wrote Louis back. </p><p>
  <em>Did you know that France had a butter shortage in 2017? They almost used margarine as a substitute! Can you imagine the outrage? I'm simply buttering you up to tell you that I read it in the newspaper. </em>
</p><p>There, Marcel smiled to himself. It was funny, teasing and still very Marcel. Of course once it was sent the nerves of a reply hit him like a tidal wave. He took his time with his nighttime routine; picking out an outfit for the next day, showing, skin care, and reading. It was nearing ten o'clock and Marcel realized that he was pushing himself to stay awake to see if he got a response. He was being silly, he told himself. It was pointless to wait up for a response that might not come. He turned his phone on do not disturb and fell asleep, not thinking of Louis. </p><p>◇</p><p>
  <em>It was udderly fantastic reading that little tidbit. Thanks for sharing. Care to share more over coffee sometime?</em>
</p><p>Well. It wasn't exactly what Marcel was thinking would happen but he wasn't completely surprised seeing as how Louis asked for his number the prior day. Marcel wasn't sure if he was ready for a coffee, he wanted more time to get to know Louis before he agreed. </p><p>
  <em>Some time, sure. My next week or so is busy but then it should slow down. You can text me if you want? But only if you want to of course, it's okay if you're busy. </em>
</p><p>Marcel sent the message and promptly ignored his phone while he tried to get some work done. Hours later when Marcel deemed it enough time to check his instagram, he felt his cheeks turn crimson at Louis' response. </p><p>
  <em>I would love to text you, except you didn't give me your number in your last message, love. Not sure if that was on purpose or not. So here is my number ;) </em>
</p><p>"Oh dear," Marcel mumbled as he stared at Louis' message that includes his number. Before he could forget or think better of it, Marcel saved Louis' number in his phone and texted Gemma. </p><p>
  <em>How do you start a text???</em>
</p><p>Marcel snorted at his sister's immediate reply. <em>You just did, loser</em>. Marcel didn't feel like making himself look even more like a loser to his sister so he chose not to respond to her. Instead he took a deep breath and texted Louis. </p><p>
  <em>Hi, not giving you my number was an accident. Definitely not on purpose. How are you?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Oh, this is Marcel by the way. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Marcel Styles? </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Not a question! Definitely Marcel Styles.</em>
</p><p>Marcel groaned and tossed his phone onto his desk and rested his head on his forearm.</p><p>"You okay?" </p><p>Marcel jumped up and looked at Zayn. "I just made a fool of myself but yeah, sure. I'm fine."</p><p>Zayn chuckled and propped himself on Marcel's desk. "What happened?"</p><p>"I don't want you to make fun of me," Marcel pouted. Zayn never made fun of Louis with malicious intent, he always made sure Marcel knew he was purely joking. </p><p>"Okay," Zayn nodded and reached out to push Marcel's glasses up his nose. "I won't and you should really get your glasses sized to your face."</p><p>Marcel nodded and picked his phone up to open it to the new thread with Louis. He handed Zayn his phone and his behind his fingers as Zayn read over the messages.</p><p>"Well, it wasn't the smoothest you have ever been but it's not terrible," Zayn shrugged. "I know we made it seem like Louis is an asshole and he can be but he won't tease you to be mean and if he is being mean just tell him to fuck off."</p><p>Marcel shook his head. "I couldn't."</p><p>Zayn smiled softly and reached out and rubbed Marcel's arm. "I know babe and I don't think Louis would be an asshole on purpose. It'll be fine."</p><p>"You're the epitome of calm and collected though and I am the complete opposite. I don't know how you can say it is going to be fine."</p><p>Zayn smirked and stood up from the desk. "Manifest," he grinned as he fanned his hands out like a rainbow. </p><p>Marcel snorted and shook his head. "Manifest, right."</p><p>There was no point in torturing himself any further so Marcel exited out of the text thread and put his phone to the side. Only ten minutes later, Marcel got a message on their operating system. </p><p>
  <em>Anything yet?</em>
</p><p>Marcel rolled his eyes and instantly replied. <em>No, don't make me regret telling you. </em></p><p>
  <em>Just be glad I didn't add Niall in this message.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Thank you. </em>
</p><p>By lunch, Marcel was a ball of nerves. He unbuttoned his shirt twice because it felt restricting on his neck and he felt shaky. When Niall appeared at his desk and told him they were going out to eat with Zayn, Marcel tried to protest, he told him he had leftovers to eat but Niall was insistent. At the small bistro, once they had chosen a table Marcel distracted himself by reading over the menu and trying not to think about Louis not responding to him. </p><p>Marcel's phone lit up with a notification from where it was placed on the table and he immediately looked at Zayn. Zayn arched an eyebrow silently asking a question. Marcel gulped and carefully picked up his phone and nearly choked at the sight of a reply from Louis. </p><p>"Why are you guys giving each other weird looks?" Niall interrupted their silent conversation. </p><p>"We're not!" Marcel yelled, unconvincingly.</p><p>Zayn rolled his eyes. "Marcel was just waiting to hear back from someone."</p><p>Marcel glared at Zayn who just shrugged and looked at Niall. "Someone? Who? A client?"</p><p>"No," Marcel wished he was a better liar so he didn't have to tell Niall what was happening. "Uhm, Louis."</p><p>"Tomlinson?" Niall asked to which Marcel nodded. "I didn't know you guys were friends."</p><p>"We're not, I mean, not really? We just started talking," Marcel blushed.</p><p>"Talking," Niall repeated with a grin. "Well that's excellent."</p><p>Marcel rolled his eyes and ignored his friends so he could see what Louis responded with. </p><p>
  <em>Hey definitely Marcel Styles :) How are you? Being super productive I assume with your early rising. </em>
</p><p>Marcel bit his bottom lip to try and hide his smile as he responded to Louis. <em>Early bird gets the worm, you know? I don't think I would even be able to sleep in if I wanted to. What is it like? </em></p><p>Marcel tried to stay present and talk to Niall and Zayn but he was distracted by Louis and as always, he had a hard time jumping into conversations. </p><p>
  <em>Wonderful. Waking up at nine means I have missed rush hour and my usual coffee shop isn't busy. It's like heaven. </em>
</p><p>Marcel smiled to himself and replied to Louis and decided to waste his time on Instagram. He noticed Louis posted a new photo of a tattoo he did the night prior; Marcel liked the post and viewed his story where he saw a picture of Louis from earlier when he had just woken up. He was still in bed, his hair was messy and he looked sleep rumpled and adorable. Meaning to swipe to see the next story, Marcel accidentally responded to the post with a heart emoji.</p><p>"No," Marcel gasped. "No, no, no. This can't be happening!" Marcel whined as he went to his dm's to see if he really replied to Louis' story. "Fuck," Marcel groaned.</p><p>"What just happened?" Niall asked. </p><p>Marcel groaned again and showed his friends his phone. "I didn't mean to send that."</p><p>"Could be worse," Zayn shrugged. </p><p>"Could be worse?" Marcel squeaked. "What?"</p><p>"He's right," Niall added. "I mean, you do think he's cute right? I feel like he is your type."</p><p>"I don't have a type!" Marcel frowned. "But uhm, yeah. I mean," Marcel blushed. "Yeah, he's cute."</p><p>"Then you have nothing to worry about," Niall told him. </p><p>"Just be cool," Zayn added completely unhelpful.</p><p>"Right," Marcel scoffed as he exited out of the Instagram app so he didn't make any more embarrassing mistakes. </p><p>Marcel chose to ignore his phone even when it sounded with notifications. Zayn and Niall kept eyeing him and asking if he was going to answer but Marcel shook his head and focused on other things. He didn't check his phone again until he was back at his desk. Louis didn't address the Instagram fiasco which was a good thing because Marcel had no idea how he was going to get out of that explanation. </p><p>
  <em>I still can't believe you don't sleep in on the weekends. What do you do with all that spare time?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Read the newspaper.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Ha ha you think you're so clever. I'm off to tattoo a dragon on this dude's leg. Talk later?</em>
</p><p>◇</p><p>Marcel was never listening to his sister again. He didn't care that she was older or supposedly <em>wiser</em> or <em>knows Marcel better than anyone</em> or <em>wants what's best for you, Marce</em>. None of that mattered the moment she decided she couldn't attend game night that she insisted he host to get to know Louis in a familiar setting. She backed out so now it was all on Marcel to host Niall, Zayn, Louis and his best friend, Liam, in his house for hours at a <em>game</em> night. Marcel was in over his head and he texted his sister his hatred for her once before getting the sliders he made out of the oven. </p><p>He knew he was too dressed up, wearing corduroy pants, a white button up and his favorite sweater vest but he was clinging to familiarity. He also knew he cooked too much; sliders, homemade fries, nachos, spinach dip, brownies, and cookies. He also had a variety of chips, dip and alcohol. On the table he placed scrabble, jenga and mancala. Louis was bringing his Playstation so they could play fifa and Marcel hoped Louis knew how to hook up the console to his TV because he had no idea. With a glance at the clock, Marcel started to set the food out; everyone should be arriving soon. </p><p>A knock on the door startled Marcel, he looked around the kitchen and the living room to make sure everything was in order before answering the door. Marcel took a deep breath and opened the door revealing a very attractive Louis and his best friend. </p><p>"Hi," Marcel tucked his fingers into his collar and tugged. "Hello, uhm, come in."</p><p>Marcel stepped to the side and tried not to shriek when Louis stepped into his space and gave him a one armed hug. </p><p>"Marcy, Marcy, Marcy, this is Liam. Liam this is Marcel. If you call him Marcy I will kick you," Louis threatened. </p><p>Marcel blushed and awkwardly waved. "Uhm. Hi. It's nice meeting you."</p><p>"Where should I set this up love?" Louis asked, fingers dancing on Marcel's elbow. </p><p>"Uhm, this way."</p><p>Marcel was having a hard time catching his breath so after showing Louis the TV, he excused himself to the kitchen to steal some alone time. He took a few deep breaths and counted to ten in his head before going back to the living room. </p><p>"Do you guys want anything to drink?" Marcel asked, wringing the bottom of his sweater in his hands. "I have water, beer, sprite, uhm, tea, I could make coffee."</p><p>"I would love a beer," Louis smiled. </p><p>"Same here," Liam smiled.</p><p>After grabbing Louis and Liam their beers, he joined them in the living room. "You have a really nice house, Marcel," Liam spoke up. "Do you live here alone?"</p><p>Marcel bit his bottom lip as he watched Louis glare at Liam and look to Marcel. "Sorry about him, he isn't house broken."</p><p>"It's okay, and yes Liam, I do." Again, Marcel bit his bottom lip as Liam gave Louis a look. "So, Liam, what do you do?"</p><p>"Oh, I'm a tattoo artist at Lou's shop. Louis was telling me that you work with data? Honestly, whatever Louis said didn't make any sense."</p><p>Marcel couldn't see Louis' face from where he was leaning behind the TV but he heard him sigh and it made Marcel giggle. "Yeah, I am a data analyst. I work with companies to analyze their data to help predict trends and things. It is boring to explain," Marcel shrugged.</p><p>"Hey," Louis popped his head out from behind the TV. "Don't talk about your job like that, you love your job." Marcel blushed and nodded. "Okay, I think I am done. Where are your remotes, love?" </p><p>"Oh," Marcel worried his bottom lip in between his fingers and turned around to try and find the remotes. "Oh, over here," Marcel grabbed them from the side table and handed them to Louis. "Uhm, Liam, I don't know if you're hungry but I have food set up in the kitchen."</p><p>"Yeah, I am actually, thank you."</p><p>Marcel showed Liam the kitchen and explained his options before escaping back to the living room to steal a few minutes with Louis alone. </p><p>"Hey," Louis spoke quietly as he looked away from the tv. "How are you?"</p><p>"I'm good," Marcel answered, tugging his collar away from his neck. </p><p>"Are you sure?" Louis asked, eyebrow arched. "You seem nervous and I don't want you to be. I think this is going to be a lot of fun."</p><p>"I hope so, I don't," Marcel sighed. "I don't normally do this kind of thing," he explained. "My sister kind of forced me to do it and then bailed so," he shrugged. </p><p>"Well, I for one am glad you are doing it," Louis told him, reaching out and squeezing Marcel's forearm. "Now, where is the food? I'm starved."</p><p>-</p><p>"No," Niall shook his head as he stared at the scrabble board on the table. "I can't believe you brought out scrabble, Marcel."</p><p>Marcel felt his cheeks redden and he just shrugged. He spared a glance at Louis who looked ready to fight, honestly. "Why is that a bad thing?"</p><p>"Because!" Niall yelled. "Marcel is too smart for his own good and he reads the newspaper. Plus he is a competitive little shit! We don't stand a chance!"</p><p>"Yeah, I'm still not over the last time we played and that was six months ago," Zayn added with a laugh. </p><p>Marcel could still feel Louis' eyes on him as he dug himself into the couch. The boys have been at Marcel's for a few hours and so far, Marcel has been having a good time. Everyone is getting along and Marcel doesn't feel too left out though that is mostly thanks to Louis who always makes sure to include him in conversation. </p><p>"I'll play," Louis said, handing his controller to Liam. "Liam can take my spot."</p><p>"It's okay," Marcel shook his head. "We don't have to play."</p><p>"Why?" Louis asked, smirking. "Are you scared?" </p><p>Marcel felt a shrill go up his spine and he did his best to look neutral. "No." </p><p>"Alright then," Louis smirked. "Let's do this."</p><p>The game started innocently enough, friendly banter and easy words. It didn't take long for bantering to turn heated. Louis and Marcel were throwing insults at each other, mocking each other's intelligence and making jokes at the others expense. The game was coming to a close and both men sat across from the other thinking they had the win. It was Louis' turn and with a smirk, he put down the word meh on a triple word box thus winning the game.</p><p>"No," Marcel shook his head. "That's bullshit! <em>Meh</em> is not a word."</p><p>"Liam, dear," Louis spoke up, not daring to take his eyes off Marcel. "Will you Google when the word meh was added in the dictionary?"</p><p>Everyone was quiet as Liam took his phone out. Marcel was glaring at Louis who looked smug and confident; it sent a shiver through Marcel's body at the sight. </p><p>"The word meh defined as an expression of indifference or boredom was entered the Collins English Dictionary in 2008," Liam explained to the group. </p><p>"Oh shit," Niall cackled. </p><p>Marcel set his jaw and rolled his neck before smiling sweetly and putting his hand in front of Louis so he could shake it. "Good game, Louis. If you'll excuse me I need to get a drink."</p><p>"Oh come on," Zayn giggled. "Don't be a sore loser!"</p><p>Marcel glared at him on his way to the kitchen. Once he was alone he took a deep breath and tried to calm down. He wasn't that upset about losing, seeing Louis act so confident and pushing Marcel to be better was an attractive quality.</p><p>"So," Louis grinned as he strolled into the room. "I was thinking that since I won," he grinned as he took a step in front of Marcel so they were standing close together. "I could take you out to dinner one night."</p><p>Marcel could feel himself flushing. "No," he replied slowly but quickly spoke up again when Louis' face fell. "You won so I will be taking you out." </p><p>Marcel watched as Louis' eyes lit up and he smiled causing the crinkles by his eyes to deepen. "Okay."</p><p>Any confidence Marcel mustered up during the game disappeared as he stared at Louis and tried not to freak out. "Good," Marcel said nodding. "Good. Cool, cool, uhm,"</p><p>Louis laughed softly and shook his head. "Since I'm on a winning streak right now, I'm going to beat the lads asses at fifa."</p><p>Marcel watched Louis walk away before scrambling to get his phone out of his pocket to text his sister. <em>I think I just asked Louis out on a date??????</em> While he waited for Gemma's reply, Marcel got himself a bottle of water and went back to the living room. The rest of the guys were sitting on the ground in front of the TV so Marcel sat on his couch and curled his feet underneath him to get comfortable. He took his phone back out of his pocket and rolled his eyes at his sister's response. </p><p>
  <em>You think?? Game night must be going well then. </em>
</p><p>Marcel didn't want to explain the situation with her over text so he offered to meet up with her over the weekend to talk about it. Watching his friends play fifa wasn't as fun as he thought it would be so he distracted himself with social media. While the guys weren't looking, he took a picture of them and posted it on his Instagram stories. It wasn't much longer that the fifa game ended and Louis crawled onto the couch and sat next to Marcel, and took his own phone out.</p><p>"You sneaky bastard," Louis teased when he saw the picture Marcel posted and tagged him in on Instagram. </p><p>"What?" Marcel smiled softly. </p><p>Louis shook his head. "Nothing but you should post a picture of yourself too."</p><p>Marcel scoffed and shook his head. "No, that's okay. It's not necessary."</p><p>Louis rolled his eyes and moved so he was nearly sitting on top of Marcel. He held his phone up in front of him and tickled Marcel's side to get him to smile just as Louis took the picture. </p><p>"Perfect," Louis grinned. </p><p>It was hardly the perfect picture. It was a little grainy and dark. Marcel's glasses were sliding down his nose and half of Louis' face was cut off. Marcel watched in awe as Louis posted the picture to his own Instagram.</p><p>"You didn't have to post that," Marcel told him.</p><p>"I wanted to. Why?" Louis frowned. "Did you not want me to?"</p><p>"No, I mean you can post whatever you want but uhm," Marcel squirmed and fidgeted with his phone. "Your feed is so cool you know? And like, I'm not so. So uhm, I just didn't want to ruin your Instagram or whatever."</p><p>The rest of the guys started yelling at the TV causing Marcel to flinch and ignore Louis. It didn't last long though because Louis reached out and put his hand on Marcel's arm. </p><p>"Marcel, you couldn't ruin my Instagram feed or like, my image in general. You are cool, Marcy. You have to know that."</p><p>Marcel scoffed and shook his head. "I'm not but that's okay. I've come to terms with it," Marcel noticed Louis frown so he apologized. "I'm sorry, I'm not trying to upset you or anything."</p><p>"You aren't, I mean it kind of sucks to hear you say you aren't cool or you are concerned with me posting a picture of you and ruining my Instagram which, like, isn't possible. Because I think you are cool and I just wish you could see that." Marcel blushed and opened his mouth to apologize but Louis shook his head. "Don't say sorry. For the record, I only post what I think is cool and what I like on my Instagram so I think you fit perfectly."</p><p>Marcel felt his skin go hot at the implication and all he could do was nod. It was like he was in a daze for the rest of the evening. All he could think was <em>holy shit Louis Tomlinson thinks I'm cool and implies he likes me</em>. Before Marcel knew it, the guys were leaving and Louis was giving Marcel another hug, one that lingered a little longer than the other boys. When they left, Marcel locked his front door and smiled widely as he squealed and clapped his hands from excitement and giddiness over an eventful evening. </p><p>◇</p><p>It took two weeks for Marcel to work up the courage to finally ask Louis on a date and the best he could come up with was cooking him dinner. All the other ideas Marcel thought of, he worried were too lame. Finding a restaurant they would both enjoy, Marcel wasn’t athletic enough for mini golf or bowling and going to a museum would surely bore Louis. In the end he decided to make shrimp alfredo, paired with a red wine and chocolate cake for dessert. Disaster started to strike when Marcel took too long to shower and changed into his outfit which was his favorite sweater vest, a dark blue with white sheep, over a white long sleeve shirt that he rolled up and blue trousers. </p><p>While Marcel started to make the alfredo sauce from scratch, he ran out of heavy cream and had to substitute it with half and half and prayed it didn’t change the flavor or texture too much. While sauteing the shrimp, garlic and onions, oil splattered onto Marcel’s trousers. The first three instances were inconvenient at best and Macel was rallying and trying to fix the evening. Louis was due in a few minutes and Marcel couldn’t keep letting his nerves get the best of him. As luck would have it, just as Marcel was opening the wine, there were a few short knocks on the door which caused Marcel to jump and wine to slosh out of the bottle. Marcel held the wine away from him and jumped back to try and limit the damage but as he moved his feet back, Dusty ran underneath his feet causing him to stumble into the fridge, dropping the wine and it to shatter everywhere. </p><p>“No,” Marcel whined as he began to cry. “Dusty!” he yelled when he noticed his cat was trying to walk towards the broken glass. “Get out!” </p><p>“Marcy? Babe? It’s Lou,” Marcel tried to hold back his tears as he heard Louis enter the house. "I heard some yelling, are you okay?" Marcel whimpered but didn't dare turn around when he heard Louis walk into the kitchen. "Oh no, are you okay?"</p><p>Marcel didn't answer right away, he quickly shut off the burner where the shrimp was surely burned by now and then the pot of pasta that was boiling over. He finally turned around and held his hand out to stop Louis from walking into the kitchen. </p><p>"Don't," he choked out. "I don't want you to hurt yourself."</p><p>Louis ignored Marcel's wishes and carefully stepped over the mess and walked up to Marcel. He put one hand on Marcel's neck and the other on his waist as he looked him over. "Did you get hurt?"</p><p>Marcel sniffled and shook his head. "No, dinner is ruined though. I'm so sorry Louis, I'm such a mess. I just wanted to cook you a nice meal. It's still early, yeah? You can salvage the night. We can just cancel and you don't have to worry about it and-"</p><p>"Hey," Louis squeezed Marcel's hip and smiled softly. "You're right, the night can be salvaged. I don't want to cancel and I don't care if you're a mess. Accidents happen love and I would really like it if I can clean this up and you get cleaned up and we can go out to eat."</p><p>"But," Marcel started to say. "No, you don't have to clean up. I made the mess, I can clean it up."</p><p>"Nonsense love, let me help. Are you sure you're okay?" Louis asked, eyes raking over Marcel's body. </p><p>Marcel shrugged. "Just embarrassed and sad I got wine on my favorite sweater," he blushed.</p><p>"It is a very lovely sweater," Louis smiled softly, no sign of sarcasm written on his face. "So why don't you go take it off and put a treatment on it so it doesn't stain? I'll clean up, promise."</p><p>Marcel nodded and walked away from Louis and the mess. He felt embarrassment down to his bones and all he wanted to do was have a good cry and watch a movie in solitude. Marcel tore his sweater off and quickly called his sister.</p><p>"Marcel, why are you calling? You're supposed to be on a date."</p><p>"Gem," Marcel whispered. "I messed it all up. I'm so embarrassed."</p><p>"What happened?"</p><p>As Marcel retold the story, he changed out of his carefully picked outfit and into a brown and white striped shirt, a brown and white vest, brown trousers and boots. He took his ruined vest to the laundry room and made sure to close the door as he put his phone on speaker so he could work on his vest and talk to Gemma.</p><p>"I'm sorry that happened Marcel, that is a bad start to the date. It says a lot that he is not only staying to continue the date but helping you clean. He didn't laugh or make fun of you. Go out and have a good time and try to forget about this bit, yeah? There is no sense in wallowing when he still wants to be with you."</p><p>"I don't know how I will ever forget about this. It's going to keep me up at night for the next year, at least. And I've just realized my nail polish doesn't match my outfit anymore, son of a bitch," Marcel grumbled. </p><p>"Marce, I love you very much but you need to suck it up now and take that boy on a date. He told you he wants to spend the evening with you! That's a good thing and your nails or clumsiness won't ruin it. Now get out there and take back the night!"</p><p>Before Marcel could respond, Gemma hung up on him. Marcel knew Gemma was right. He had to push the uncomfortable feelings of embarrassment and not being good enough to the side if he had any hope of salvaging the night. Once he was done with his sweater and it was in the wash, Marcel walked back to the kitchen to see his floor cleaned up and Louis elbow deep in soapy water.</p><p>"Louis," Marcel whined. "You didn't have to wash the dishes."</p><p>Louis turned around and grinned but didn't say anything. Marcel sighed and rolled his sleeves up to help Louis finish the dishes. Once they were done, they dried their hands and Louis turned to face Marcel. </p><p>"I will be right back, okay?" Louis smiled as he walked away.</p><p>Marcel was confused as he watched Louis leave the room and he felt his heart drop when he heard the front door open. His confusion only grew when there was a knock on the door. Marcel expected Louis to let himself in again but after a third knock, Marcel went to open the door. </p><p>"Hi Marcel," Louis smiled. "How are you?"</p><p>"Uh, I'm good. How are you?"</p><p>"I'm good, I'm so excited for tonight," Louis spoke as he walked into Marcel’s house. "Thank you so much for inviting me out."</p><p>"Uhm, Lou, what are you doing?" </p><p>"Sh, I'm starting over," Louis whispered. </p><p>Marcel laughed and shook his head. "You're silly."</p><p>Louis rolled his eyes and lightly hit Marcel's shoulder. "Come on, learn your lines. Now, Marcy, where are you taking me tonight?" </p><p>"Uhm, Canoe? It's like a seafood restaurant? But if you don't like seafood we can go to Miller Union or Varasano's."</p><p>"Canoe sounds delicious, good pick," Louis grinned. "Shall we go?" </p><p>Marcel grabbed his keys and made sure he had his phone and wallet before leaving and locking his house. </p><p>"Would you like me to drive?" Louis asked, pointing to his car. </p><p>"No, it's still my date. I'll drive."</p><p>Marcel opened the passenger side door for Louis and took note of the slight pink on his cheeks as he closed the door. Once in the driver's side, Marcel picked one of his many playlists and started to drive to the restaurant. </p><p>"Can I look through your Spotify? I want to see what your music taste is like."</p><p>"Sure," Marcel shrugged. "The password is 3878."</p><p>"You told me your phone password," Louis stated. </p><p>"Yeah," Marcel glanced at Louis. "Should I not have?"</p><p>"No, I mean, I won't invade your privacy. I guess, I'm just surprised. Usually when I have asked in the past, guys get really weird about it and won't let me handle their phone."</p><p>"Oh, well," Marcel cleared his throat, he didn't like the feeling of jealousy over Louis being with someone else. "I don't have anything to hide and even then, you just saw me cry so I don't think it gets more embarrassing than that."</p><p>Louis huffed out a laugh but didn't say anything else as he looked through Marcel's music. "You have a very eclectic taste."</p><p>"Thank you," Marcel smiled. "Uhm, I think," he added.</p><p>Louis put Marcel's phone back in the cup holder and looked at Marcel's hands. "I like your nail polish by the way."</p><p>Marcel blushed and gripped the steering wheel tighter. "Thanks, it was supposed to match my other outfit though."</p><p>Louis carefully reached out and took Marcel's right hand in his and inspected the manicure. "Did you do it yourself?"</p><p>"Yeah, I tried going to a nail salon once and it didn't go well so I learned how to do it myself."</p><p>Louis frowned and curled his fingers around Marcel's. "What happened?"</p><p>"The women in the salon were talking about me. It happens, you know? Like most of the places I go someone will be talking about me but the salon was a bit too much to bear."</p><p>"Fuck that," Louis cursed causing Marcel to flinch. "This isn't the first time you have said people have talked shit about you and it's pissing me off."</p><p>"Oh," Marcel took his hand from Louis' to grip the steering wheel again. "I'm sorry."</p><p>"It's not your fault, never your fault. People are so judgemental and it's shit. My sister, Lottie, is a makeup artist and knows a lot of nail artists, next time you want your nails professionally done, let me know. I'll take you somewhere where you won't get made fun of."</p><p>Marcel felt himself flushing again and all he could do was nod and accept Louis reaching out to hold his hand again. </p><p>-</p><p>Marcel let Louis in charge of the music on the drive back to his house. It wasn't a good decision since Louis kept switching songs in the middle but Marcel had such a good time at the restaurant that he didn't want to dwell on the ever changing music. While they ate, they shared stories of their families, college and where they grew up. They realized they had a lot of things in common like their love of music, their work ethic, and more important things like marriage and wanting kids. </p><p>When they got to Marcel's house, he opened Louis' door and invited Louis inside for a cup of tea. While they waited for the tea to boil, Louis wandered around Harry's house and asked questions about pictures or books or other nic naks. </p><p>"Why did you buy a house?" Louis asked as they stopped in Marcel's office. "Most people our age are still in apartments."</p><p>Marcel shrugged and stuffed his hands in his pockets. It was a valid question that he normally danced around the answer but he wanted to be honest with Louis. "I managed to land a really great job after college and I didn't like the idea of apartment living anymore. I like living alone and this area isn't cheap living by yourself in an apartment. I found this house for a really great price and figured it would be worth it in the long run. It's an investment, as cheesy as that sounds and not just financially," Marcel explained. "When I saw all the bedrooms and the backyard, I could picture starting a family in this house so I bought it." </p><p>"That's," Louis sighed. "That's really sweet. Sometimes I wish I had a more normal job. I love what I do, I love being an artist but I couldn't afford a family home right now and that's what I want most you know? It would be easier to have a normal job so I could have a better salary and find the house and the husband and the family."</p><p>"It might be easier but it wouldn't be you and that would be a real shame." Louis' face softened at Marcel's words and all he could do was smile in response. "Come on, I'm sure the water is ready by now."</p><p>Marcel took Louis' hand in his and walked them back to the kitchen where Marcel made them both a cup of tea. </p><p>"Serious question for you Marcy Marce. I have been wondering this all evening, been dying to ask," Louis exaggerated. "Just how many sweater vests do you own?"</p><p>Marcel laughed loudly, it was more of a squawk than anything causing Marcel to blush and hide his mouth as Louis doubled over in laughter. For the first time, Marcel didn't feel like he was being laughed at. He knew Louis was laughing at him, it was truly a horrible sound he made, but Marcel felt prideful that he could make Louis laugh so hard even if it was at his own expense.</p><p>"Come on then, tell me and don't try to lie! I am not afraid to go perusing in your drawers."</p><p>"Don't say that!" Marcel yelled while laughing.</p><p>"What?" Louis grinned as he walked around the kitchen counter. "Perusing in your drawers?"</p><p>Marcel laughed harder and clutched his stomach. "No, stop, don't say it again."</p><p>"Are you really turning down my invitation to peruse your drawers?" Louis reached out and tickled Marcel's sides.</p><p>"Yes, yes!"</p><p>Louis didn't stop his ministrations, his fingers danced along Marcel's sides as he laughed so hard he started to snort. Marcel clung to Louis who continued to laugh and tickle him causing them to fall to the floor in a fit of flailing limbs and laughter. </p><p>"I forfeit!" Marcel yelled as he tried to push Louis away. </p><p>Louis immediately stopped and rested against the counter and watched as Marcel leant against the fridge and tried to collect himself. Marcel's usual slicked back hair was a mess, his glasses were crooked and his vest and buttoned shirt was riding up showing off a slip of pale skin and the hint of tattoos. Louis licked his lips and looked back up at Marcel's face again. His cheeks were a wonderful shade of pink, whether it was from laughing or being stared at, Louis wasn't sure.</p><p>"16," Marcel grinned. </p><p>"Hm?"</p><p>"Sweater vests, I have 16 the last I counted."</p><p>Louis laughed and shook his head. "You're so cute. Now come on, let's have that tea then."</p><p>The pair managed to calm down enough to drink their tea. Marcel asked Louis about his job and his tattoos and shared some stories about his own ink. By the time their tea was done, Marcel promised he would visit Louis' shop soon. Marcel walked Louis to his car and tried not to overwhelm himself when he leaned down to kiss Louis' cheek. </p><p>Louis reached a hand up to push Marcel's glasses up his nose and caress his cheek. "I had a really wonderful time, Marcy. I'll talk to you soon, okay?"</p><p>Marcel nodded. "Yeah, drive safe Lou."</p><p>Marcel closed Louis' drivers side door for him and walked up to his door where he waved once more before going back inside. For the first time in years, Marcel completed his nighttime routine with a smile on his face. Just before falling asleep, Louis texted him.</p><p>
  <em>Hope it's not too soon to say I want to take you on date two very soon. Tonight was incredible, Marcel. I hope you sleep well. </em>
</p><p>◇</p><p>Marcel wondered if seeing Louis for the second time in a week and after practically nonstop texting was too much too soon. He has never felt this way about someone before and he was going to be okay if Louis <em>didn't</em> want to hang out with him two weekends in a row. He didn't expect Louis to say yes, especially since Marcel's invitation was to accompany him to the farmers market. Marcel knew he was over enthusiastic, while generally that was not an issue, he worried his over enthusiasm to spend time with Louis was a bad thing. As Marcel led them through the crowd, Louis hand on his back slid from his waist and into Marcel's hand. Over enthusiasm be dammed, holding Louis' hand was worth it. Especially when he looked as cute and soft as he did now. </p><p>Marcel showed up at Louis' door expecting to see Louis in his usual graphic t-shirt and jeans. Instead he was wearing an oversized sweatshirt and a pair of tight fitting joggers. He looked sleep soft and cuddly and Marcel felt his heart race every time he looked at him. They weaved in and out of the crowd and stopped at booths Marcel normally bought his fruit and vegetables from. They made light conversation, Marcel made as many puns as he could and Louis rolled his eyes so many times Marcel joked they would get stuck that way. </p><p>Getting to know Louis made Marcel feel guilty over his initial thoughts of Louis. It wasn't too long ago that Marcel was telling himself he never wanted to meet Louis. He assumed they would never get along and he would be hard to deal with. He tried to focus on other things, like the way Louis held his hand or rested his forehead on Marcel's shoulder when they stopped at a booth. Every endearing act made Marcel's guilt worse. </p><p>"Oh, they sell smoothies!" Louis grinned. "Can we get some?"</p><p>"Of course," Marcel smiled and they walked to the smoothie bar.</p><p>Marcel ordered something with more vegetables than fruit and Louis got a chocolate banana smoothie with strawberries. Marcel led them to a nearby bench to sit down and Marcel felt like this was the right time to come clean. His heart started to beat out of his chest and his hands felt sweaty but he pressed on. </p><p>"Uhm, I wanted to talk to you about something," Marcel started, swallowing down his anxiety.</p><p>"Please don't tell me this is a breakup smoothie," Louis frowned.</p><p>"What!" Marcel yelled a little too loudly. "No, I'm not breaking up with you. Uhm, I just feel really guilty and want to tell you."</p><p>Louis reached out and placed his hand on Marcel's thigh. "Okay, what is it?"</p><p>"Before we ever met, when Zayn and Niall would talk about you, I got this idea of you that I didn't like. I uh, well I told myself I would never meet you and we wouldn't get along. From their stories it sounded like we wouldn't and sometimes even now I don't understand how we get along so well. I mean we're kind of the opposite you know? But, like, also not?"</p><p>"Marcel, babe, you're rambling a little bit and I'm nervous."</p><p>"Oh," Marcel blushed. "Right, well, I just feel guilty for thinking those negative things about you when you're so lovely. I shouldn't have made assumptions about you, that wasn't fair and I'm sorry."</p><p>"Marcel, I thought you were going to say you were seeing someone else or something," Louis laughed as he shook his head. "Thank you for apologizing and having an open mind about me. I know I can be a lot," Louis shrugged. "And honestly when they would talk about you I pictured someone I would never get along with as well. So <em>I'm sorry</em> for judging you."</p><p>Marcel let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "It's okay, I get it. Thank you for keeping an open mind about <em>me</em>. I'm having a lot of fun with you," Marcel admitted with a blush.</p><p>"Good, so am I," Louis smiled softly at Marcel. </p><p>"So uhm, you said you thought I was seeing someone else," Marcel began, his cheeks reddening as he toyed with the straw of his smoothie. "Does that mean, like, uhm, maybe we're exclusive? I don't, like, it's been a long time since I have been in a relationship so I don't really, like," Marcel sighed. "I don't really know what I'm doing or saying, really."</p><p>Louis smiled as he began to talk. "Yeah, I think it's a little earlier for the boyfriend title but I'm not planning on dating anyone else and I hope you aren't either."</p><p>"No!" Marcel rushed out. "No," he repeated more calmly. "Me either. Uhm, do you want to get out of here? If you don’t have any plans I thought I could make us some lunch. It will give me a chance to make up for the disaster last week.” </p><p>Louis laughed and stood up. “I’ve got no plans but I’m still a bit sleepy. Don’t be surprised if I fall asleep on your couch.” </p><p>Marcal stood up and adjusted his reusable bags and his smoothie so he could wrap his arm around Louis’ shoulders. “That’s alright, you can take a nap while I make lunch. I know you had a long day yesterday and then I dragged you out of bed this morning to go grocery shopping with me.”</p><p>“Hey,” Louis bumped his hip with Marcel’s. “You didn’t drag me, I came along willingly. Besides I get a free lunch out of it,” Louis giggled.</p><p>“And a smoothie,” Marcel added with a grin.</p><p>“Right and the company is okay, besides all the terrible puns.”</p><p>“Hey,” Marcel whined with a pout. “You like my puns!” </p><p>Louis wiggled his eyebrows and winked. “Yeah I do.”</p><p>“Oh dear,” Marcel blushed as he refused to respond and sipped his smoothie to get out of the conversation. Louis laughed beside him and snaked his arm around Marcel’s waist and squeezed his hip as they continued to make their way to Marcel’s car. Marcel let Louis control the music and was pleasantly surprised when he let songs play all the way through. When they got to Marcel’s house, Louis went straight to the living room to pick out something to watch while Marcel put away his groceries and started making them lunch.  </p><p>After lunch, Louis laid down on the couch and snuggled with a pillow and started to doze off. Marcel felt nervous and worried that Louis was falling asleep, he didn't mind of course, but he didn't know when to wake him up or if he should cover him with a blanket. Marcel didn't know if he should stay with him on the couch or do something else. His decision was made for him by his anxiety and he started to tidy and clean the kitchen. Once the kitchen was cleaned, he walked back into the living room to check on Louis. He was curled in on himself so he pulled the blanket from the back of the couch and put it over Louis. Before he could do something reckless like brush Louis' hair out of his face or rub his back, Marcel started to work on his daily chores. </p><p>"Boo!" Louis yelled as he jumped in the doorway. Marcel screamed and jumped, causing him to lose his footing and slip on the floor. He clutched his hand over his chest and tried to calm his racing heart. He felt like he couldn't breathe and his chest began to hurt. "Marcy," Louis crouched down and put his hand on Marcel's shoulder. "What can I do?"</p><p>Marcel kept gasping for air as he felt around his pockets and became increasingly worried and frustrated when he didn't feel his inhaler. "Inhaler, bedside drawer."</p><p>Marcel closed his eyes as Louis left and tried to calm down. He was safe, it was just Louis and Louis didn't mean any harm. He had to try and relax but the feeling of not being able to catch his breath was taking over. </p><p>"Marcel, I'm coming back babe," he distantly heard Louis but he didn't open his eyes until he felt Louis sit next to him and put his inhaler in his hand. "I'm so sorry love," Louis apologized. "I didn't mean to cause this, I thought it would be a laugh. I'm so sorry." </p><p>It took a few minutes for Marcel to calm down but once he did, he smiled softly and reached out to hold Louis' hand. "For what it's worth, I'm sure it was funny and it's okay."</p><p>Louis frowned and shook his head. "You let me fall asleep on your couch and I repay you by making you have an asthma attack. I'm so sorry."</p><p>Marcel's heart rate began to pick back up as he sat up and ran his thumb on the back of Louis' hand. "Louis," Marcel spoke quietly but Louis wouldn't look at him so Marcel took a chance and put his finger under Louis' chin and lifted his head up. "It's okay, angel." </p><p>Louis blushed and tried to look down again but Marcel leaned forward and kissed Louis. It was short and simple but enough for Marcel to think he would need to use his inhaler again. </p><p>"So is now a bad time to bring up that I saw your half empty bottle of lube?" Louis asked, biting his bottom lip. </p><p>"Oh god," Marcel groaned and covered his face with his hand. </p><p>Louis chuckled and stood up. "Come on, up you go. The least I could do is help you fold this laundry since I scared you into an asthma attack."</p><p>"And brought up my lube."</p><p>Louis laughed and nodded. "That too."</p><p>Marcel put all his clean clothes in a hamper while Louis switched the next load. They moved to the living room where they started watching Scandal while Marcel folded his laundry. Eventually, Louis decided he should head home to work on his own laundry and work on some tattoo designs. Marcel walked Louis to his car and was going to simply give him a hug goodbye when Louis brought Marcel into another kiss. </p><p>"Thanks for a lovely Saturday, babe. I'll talk to you soon okay?"</p><p>Marcel was rendered speechless, all he could do was nod and wave as Louis got in his car and left. </p><p>◇</p><p>It had been a long two weeks and Marcel had 0nly been able to talk sparingly with Louis. Louis had back to back appointments and interviews with new artists for the shop and even meetings to start making merchandise for the shop. Marcel wasn't much better, he landed another big client that expected his analysis as quickly as possible. Marcel's schedule was finally calming down however and since he hadn't seen Louis in a while he decided to surprise him at the shop. He knew he wouldn't be able to see him for long, and truthfully at all since Louis has a long appointment. He felt bad when Louis texted him saying he forgot his lunch and he wanted to do something nice for Louis and bring him some lunch. </p><p>Marcel has always been intimidated by tattoo shops. Every time he went to get his own done, Marcel had to bring someone with him so he felt more comfortable. He tried to remind himself that he was doing this for Louis and even if he couldn't see Louis, he knew Louis would appreciate the gesture. When he got to Far Away Tattoo, Marcel sat in his car for a few minutes to get motivation to go inside. </p><p>“You can do this,” Marcel told himself. “It’s easy, just walk in and ask if Louis is free and if he isn’t, drop the food off for him. Okay, one, two,” Marcel shut off his car and threw open his door. “Three,” he mumbled as he stepped out. He fixed his shirt, and smoothed down his pants before grabbing the reusable bag from the backseat. He quickly locked his car and walked towards the front door of the shop. Similar to most tattoo shops, the foyer had artwork lining the walls and a table with portfolios and a couch and two sets of chairs as well.  </p><p>“Hi, can I help you?” </p><p>Marcel’s eyes snapped to the woman behind the counter; she was staring at Marcel with what Marcel interpreted as annoyance. “Hi, uhm, yeah, I am here-”</p><p>“Do you have an appointment?” she interrupted Marcel. </p><p>“No, I don’t. I’m just trying to-”</p><p>“You can’t sell anything here. We don’t allow solicitors,” She told him, crossing her arms over her chest.</p><p>Marcel sighed and pushed his glasses up and tightened his grip on the bag. “I’m not trying to sell anything. I’m here to see Louis, I’m dropping something off for him.” </p><p>The woman eyed Marcel up and down causing him to squirm under her scrutiny. “You know Louis?” </p><p>Marcel nodded. “Yes.”</p><p>“Well he’s busy.”</p><p>“Right and that’s fine,” Marcel did his best to stay neutral. “I just wanted to drop this off for him. It’s lunch, I know he won’t have time to get lunch.”</p><p>“We normally all get something,” the woman explained with an eyebrow raised.</p><p>“Right,” Marcel pursed his lips. “Can you just tell him that I left something for him or give me a piece of paper to leave him a note? I’m not trying to bother you or Louis, I’m just trying to leave this for him.”</p><p>“Marcel?” Marcel looked from the woman towards the doorway to the left of the front desk to see Liam.</p><p>“Liam,” Marcel sighed. “Hi, how are you?” </p><p>“I’m good, what are you doing here? Are you getting a tattoo?” Liam’s eyes went wide. “Lou didn’t tell me!” </p><p>“I’m not getting a tattoo,” Marcel blushed. “I’m just dropping off some lunch for Louis. He told me this morning he forgot his and he won’t have time to go out.”</p><p>“Oh,” Liam smiled warmly. “That’s sweet. Here, why don’t you come on back? He’s almost done with a client now and I know he’d want to see you.”</p><p>“That’s not necessary Liam, I can just leave it.”</p><p>“Nonsense,” Liam shook his head. “Come on, you’re really doing me a favor. All I’ve heard for the past few weeks is <em>I miss Marcel, I wonder what Marcel is doing, do you think I have time to sneak away to see Marcel?</em> If he found out you were here and didn’t see him,” Liam shook his head. “Frankly, I don’t want to think about it. Come on.” </p><p>Marcel did his best to not blush anymore as he walked towards Liam and followed him into the back of the shop. He tried to look around the shop but Liam was walking fast and Marcel didn’t want to get lost so he focused back on following Liam. After a few turns, they finally got to Louis’ office. Marcel immediately smiled at the sight of Louis working, he was hunched over the client’s leg with his hair pulled back by a beanie. </p><p>“Hey Tommo,” Liam greeted from the doorway. “I have a surprise for you,” Liam stepped out of the way so Marcel could be fully seen and Marcel was thankful for it since he got to see Louis’ eyes go wide and him smile widely. </p><p>“Marcy, hi babe, what are you doing here?” </p><p>“Brought you lunch,” Marcel smiled softly and held up the reusable bag.</p><p>Louis groaned and dipped his head back for a second. “You are an absolute angel. Does it need to be refrigerated?” </p><p>“Uhm, probably, yeah. It’s chicken salad,” Marcel explained quickly. </p><p>“Awesome,” Louis grinned. “Li, will you put the bag in the fridge for me and make sure if anyone touches it they are fired?” </p><p>Liam laughed and nodded. “Yeah, I’ll let them know.” </p><p>Before handing Liam the bag, Marcel took a bag of cookies out of it and laughed when Louis gasped at the sight. “Are those what I think they are?”</p><p>“Yes,” Marcel grinned. </p><p>“What are they?” Liam questioned trying to peak in the bag. </p><p>“Marcy’s famous chocolate chip cookies and they are all for me, fuck off Payno.” </p><p>Liam rolled his eyes and started to leave. “Come see me before you leave Marcel, I’m in the space right across the hall.” </p><p>Marcel nodded and turned back towards Louis. “Here, I’ll put these on your desk and get out of your hair.”</p><p>“Nonsense, sit down. I haven’t seen you in two weeks. This is, Graham by the way, Graham, this lovely man is Marcel.” </p><p>“Hi,” Marcel waved and set the bag of cookies on Louis’ desk and sat down across from Graham. “What are you getting done?” Marcel asked the stranger.</p><p>“A plague doctor,” Graham told Marcel. </p><p>“Oh, cool. It looks awesome.”</p><p>“Well of course it does,” Louis laughed. “I’m the one doing it.”</p><p>Marcel rolled his eyes and ignored Louis’ sticking his tongue out at him. Fortunately for Marcel, he didn’t have to continue to make conversation since Louis started talking to him again. Twenty minutes later, Graham’s tattoo was done and Louis was explaining after care and escorting him out of his office and to the foyer. When Louis came back to the office he closed the door behind him and walked up to Marcel and put his hands on his shoulders before dipping down and kissing him quickly. </p><p>“Hi,” Louis breathed. “Missed you, is that stupid?” </p><p>“No,” Marcel shook his head. “I missed you too. When is your next appointment?” </p><p>Louis looked at the clock on his desk and groaned. “Fifteen minutes. I have another busy day but this is the last one for a little while. I have one appointment tomorrow morning and then I’m free, want to do something then?” </p><p>“Please,” Marcel nodded. </p><p>“Did Abbie give you any problems?” Louis asked as he began to clean his table and the rest of his set up. </p><p>“Abbie?” Marcel questioned. “Is she the woman up front?” </p><p>“Yeah, she’s new. I don’t think she is fitting in very well. What do you think?” </p><p>“Uhm,” Marcel toyed with his bottom lip between his fingers. “She was okay.” Louis arched an eyebrow as he stared at Marcel. “Okay she was pretty horrible. She kept interrupting me and I don’t think she really believed I knew you. And I mean I get it, I know I don’t look like I fit in here or with you but-”</p><p>“No,” Louis shook his head. “But nothing. Anyone and everyone is welcome here, especially you, she shouldn’t have been rude. I’ll have to find someone to replace her,” Louis sighed and took off his beanie and ran his hands through his hair. </p><p>“Don’t do that,” Marcel told him. “I would feel terrible getting her fired.” </p><p>“You didn’t get her fired, she got herself fired. I can’t have someone so rude working at my shop. Don’t worry your beautiful mind about it, okay?” Louis smiled over at Marcel. </p><p>“Okay,” Marcel blushed. “I’ll try.”</p><p>“What are you doing for the rest of the day?”</p><p>Marcel shrugged. “I’m not sure, probably clean the house and do some chores. I’ll probably get some work done. I don’t have much else to do.”</p><p>“Oh, speaking of work. I know you’ve also been busy so don’t feel pressured to say yes just because it’s me alright?” </p><p>“Okay,what is it?” </p><p>“You know I have had all those meetings about maybe having merch for the shop? My accountant says we have the funds for it and the company we would use is pressuring me to make a decision but I’m a little nervous about it still,” Louis explained. “I was wondering if you had spare time if you could do your, you know,” Louis motioned as if he was typing. “Your analyst thing and help me see if it’s actually a good idea? Maybe you can look at our profit and stuff, whatever it is you look at,” Louis blushed. </p><p>“Yeah, I can certainly do that.”</p><p>“You agreed awfully quick,” Louis narrowed his eyes at him as he walked back over to where Marcel was sitting. “If you don’t have the time, you don’t have to.”</p><p>Marcel rolled his eyes and lifted his hands to rest on Louis’ hips. “I have time, I can start working on it today actually.”</p><p>“Do you have to work on it at home?” Louis asked as he put his hands around Marcel’s neck. </p><p>“Not necessarily, why?” </p><p>Louis shrugged and played with Marcel’s slicked back hair. “Well I was thinking you could work on it here, you know, cause I have all the files on my computer and then we could still hang out together but doing separate things.” </p><p>“I won’t distract you from your clients?” </p><p>“Hm,” Louis hummed. “You are awfully pretty to look at but I think I’ll be okay.” </p><p>Marcel laughed and shook his head. “I just need to pop back home and get my laptop but yeah, I’ll stay here and work. Do you need anything while I’m out?”</p><p>Louis grinned and kissed Marcel’s forehead. “No thanks darling, thank you though.” </p><p>Marcel blushed and stood up, causing Louis to step back. “I’ll be back,” Marcel whispered before kissing Louis quickly and leaving his office. </p><p>An hour later, Marcel was seated at Louis' desk and working on compiling all of the files he needed while Louis worked. Music was softly playing the background and the hum of the tattoo gun created a comfortable environment for Marcel to work. Every so often Louis would include Marcel in the conversation with the client or Liam would pop into the room and talk with Marcel and ask questions about his work. During the short break Louis had to eat his lunch, they shared the pack lunch Marcel made for him and Louis stole as many kisses as he could before his next client. </p><p>It was nearing the end of the day and Marcel's back had begun to hurt from being hunched over Louis' desk and he had to think about what to cook for dinner. Louis didn't want him to leave, and said as much as Marcel started to pack up. Marcel ignored him though and kissed the top of Louis' head before leaving his office and going to Liam's.</p><p>"Hey Liam," Marcel hovered in the doorway. "I'm leaving, I just wanted to say bye."</p><p>"Awe okay, it was fun having you here today. We should do another game night soon."</p><p>Marcel smiled and nodded, the thought of spending time with his friends and Louis wasn't as terrifying as it used to be. "Yeah, we should. I'll pick a date and let you know. Bye Liam."</p><p>"Bye Marcel!"</p><p>Marcel left the shop, ignoring Abbie's stare, and got into his car. He felt silly and high on endorphins from spending the day with Louis and knowing he was doing work to help him. Marcel never really thought of himself as lonely, he did have friends and he saw his family regularly. He enjoys alone time and his hobbies tend to be solitary. Spending time with Louis and ultimately what Marcel could tell was falling in love, Marcel felt sad walking into his house by himself. He wished he had been brave enough to invite Louis over and see what it was like to spend the night wrapped up in each other. It was late, nearing midnight when Marcel got Louis' goodnight text and it left Marcel falling asleep with a smile on his face. </p><p>◇</p><p>“Marcy, baby,” Louis chuckled as Marcel started to unpack all of the food he brought over for game night. “How many people are we expecting?” </p><p>“Uhm, well there’s us, Niall, Liam, Zayn and Gemma. Why?” Marcel turned to look at Louis, completely startled. “Do you not think I cooked enough?” Marcel looked back at the food; a meat and cheese platter, sliders since everyone loved them the last time, homemade guacamole, and cupcakes.</p><p>Louis stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Marcel’s waist and kissed his shoulder. “No, love, everything you have is perfect. I was simply teasing.”</p><p>Marcel turned his head and pouted causing Louis to chuckle again and kiss Marcel’s lips. Marcel blushed and lightly shoved Louis away from him. “Don’t distract me, I have to set all this up.” </p><p>"Okay, okay," Louis grinned. "I am going to set up the Playstation." </p><p>Marcel watched Louis walk away before he resumed spreading the food out on the counter and table. Once he was done he walked to the living room and sat down on Louis' couch and watched Louis putter around the TV. Louis walked up to Marcel and straddled his lap and put his hands on Marcel's t-shirt.</p><p>"Can I help you?" Marcel asked, putting his hands on Louis' hips. </p><p>"I like this shirt on you," Louis mused as he slid his hands across Marcel's chest. </p><p>"Just an old shirt," Marcel shrugged. </p><p>"I love your button ups and your sweaters, your back always looks lovely in your button ups. Seeing you in a t-shirt and yoga pants though-."</p><p>"They're not yoga pants," Marcel laughed. "I told you when I came in they aren’t yoga pants. They're just-"</p><p>"They are stretchy, flared, and have no pockets or buttons. They are yoga pants," Louis grinned. "As I was saying, you dressing this way makes me believe you are comfortable with me and that makes me happy."</p><p>Marcel smiled softly and leaned forward to rub his nose along Louis'. "I <em>am</em> comfortable with you."</p><p>Louis smiled softly and leaned forward to kiss Marcel. Marcel sighed into the kiss and ran his hands up and down Louis' sides and pulled him against his chest so they were closer. Louis moaned into the kiss and tried to deepen it but Marcel pulled away and smirked. </p><p>"You like that?" He asked as his hands gripped Louis' sides. </p><p>"Yeah," Louis sighed as he closed his eyes. "I like being roughed up a bit."</p><p>Marcel groaned and bit Louis' neck, then licked over the bite. "Fuck, me too."</p><p>"Kiss me," Louis demanded. </p><p>Marcel wasted no time in granting the demand and pulled Louis in by his neck to kiss him. Louis immediately deepened it and wrapped his arms around Marcel's neck and dug his fingers into the baby hairs and soft skin. It was a tug of war between the two, Louis would pull and push and prod and Marcel would answer with a bite and a tighter grip on Louis. Without realizing it, Marcel was circling his hips against Louis' and trying to get any friction he could get. The sound of banging on Louis' door startled the two apart, their faces close and panting in each other's breath.</p><p>"Fuck," Louis laughed. </p><p>"Yeah," Marcel giggled. </p><p>"You, sir," Louis grinned as his hand skimmed down Marcel's body and over his crotch causing Marcel to gasp. "Need to calm down, yoga pants leave nothing to the imagination."</p><p>"Not yoga pants," Marcel panted. "Right, I'll uh, I'll be back."</p><p>Louis got off of Marcel's body and kissed his cheek. Marcel was halfway down the hall when Louis called out to him. "You better not touch yourself Styles!"</p><p>Marcel blushed and hurried off to the bathroom. Marcel wasn't going to touch himself, not because there was no time and their friends arrived but because Louis said not to. He splashed water on his face and tried to think of anything other than Louis' kiss or his hands. The sound of his sister's laughter filling the apartment brought Marcel out of his daze. He quickly washed his hands and left the bathroom to find Louis and Gemma talking in the kitchen.</p><p>"Hey," Marcel smiled as he hugged Gemma. </p><p>"Hey Marce, Louis was just telling me he won scrabble when you guys played last." </p><p>Marcel glared at Louis and pinched his side. "Yeah, well, there will be a rematch tonight."</p><p>Louis smiled sweetly and walked over to Marcel and put his arm around his shoulder. "Baby, I don't want your sister to witness you losing again."</p><p>Marcel rolled his eyes and bumped his hip against Louis' causing him to stumble away. "That isn't going to happen, baby."</p><p>"You two make me sick already," Gemma rolled her eyes. "When are the others getting here?"</p><p>"Should be soon," Marcel glanced at the clock. "You know Zayn is always late."</p><p>"And Liam will be late since he had a late appointment," Louis added as he walked to the living room. "Let's sit down, I want to hear embarrassing stories of Marcy when he was young."</p><p>Marcel smiled softly when Gemma looked at him and mouthed <em>Marcy</em>. She knew Marcel has always hated the nickname, kids in school always used to call him that when they would tease him. "It's different with him," Marcel whispered as they followed Louis into the living room. </p><p>-</p><p>Hours later and Zayn, Niall, Liam and Gemma left leaving Marcel and Louis in the living room alone. Marcel had already packed up the leftover food and cleaned the kitchen for Louis so he didn’t have to worry about it the next day. They were curled on the couch together with Marcel straddling Louis’ hips. </p><p>“Lou,” Marcel gasped as Louis kissed Marcel’s neck. “It’s late and I have to go.”</p><p>“Why?” Louis mumbled. </p><p>Marcel forgot the question the second Louis rocked his hips up against Marcel’s. He lost himself in the feeling and cupped Louis’ head with his hands to kiss him again. Louis immediately deepened the kiss and pulled Marcel against his body and dug his fingers under Marcel’s shirt and into his hips. </p><p>“Fuck baby,” Louis groaned when Marcel ground his hips against Louis. “You feel so good.” </p><p>“So do you,” Marcel gasped as Louis’ hands slid from his back down to his ass and squeezed. </p><p>“Is this okay?” Louis asked, circling his hips up into Marcel. “Do we need to,” Louis gasped as Marcel started to kiss just below his ear. “Fuck, do we need to stop?” </p><p>“No,” Marcel mumbled. “Unless you want to?” </p><p>“Fuck no,” Louis laughed “No, I’m good.” </p><p>“I probably shouldn’t admit this,” Marcel sighed. “But I’m close.” </p><p>“That’s really, really hot,” Louis groaned as Marcel rocked his hips faster. “Fuck, I want you to come. Please, baby.”</p><p>Marcel whined, high pitched and needy as Louis gripped his hips to help move him faster. Marcel dipped his head to get another kiss, it was sloppy and messy and just enough to keep Marcel hurtling towards his climax. Louis ducked his head into the crook of Marcel’s neck and lightly bit his ear lobe and whispered encouragements into his ear. </p><p>“Lou, Lou, Lou,” Marcel sighed. “<em>Fuck</em>, angel,” Marcel gasped as he came against Louis and dropped his head to rest it on Louis’ shoulder. “You made me feel so good, so good, Louis.”</p><p>“Marcy, I’m close baby, you feel so,” Louis was interrupted by a moan startling out of him as Marcel dropped his hand down in between their bodies and pressed down. </p><p>Marcel left soft kisses along Louis’ neck and jaw as he regained his breathing and couldn’t stop the giggles from leaving his lips. “I haven’t done that since I was young.” </p><p>“Me either,” Louis laughed. “Come on, I’ll let you borrow some pants, these yoga pants can’t be very comfy now.”</p><p>Marcel rolled his eyes and carefully climbed off of Louis and followed him into his bedroom. Louis rustled through his drawers until he found a pair of sweatpants and tossed them to Marcel. </p><p>“Not going to change in here?” Louis smirked as Marcel started to walk to the bathroom. </p><p>“I’m not wearing any underwear,” Marcel shrugged and grinned as Louis’ eyes glanced down to his wet pants. </p><p>“Fuck,” Louis mumbled.</p><p>Marcel laughed and walked over to Louis and kissed his cheek before walking to the bathroom to change and clean himself up. He didn’t look as wrecked as he thought he would. His hair was messy but more so from when he was messing it up while playing scrabble than making out with Louis. His glasses were crooked and sitting halfway down his nose and his shirt was crooked. Once he fixed his glasses and shirt, and cleaned himself up, he slipped on Louis’ sweatpants and had to laugh at himself. He looked a little ridiculous, Louis wasn’t that much shorter than him, he couldn’t even tell half the time but wearing his pants, he couldn’t definitely see the difference. The bottom of the pants rested just a little above his ankle bone giving him the ultimate high water pants look. </p><p>“Louis,” Marcel giggled as he walked back into Louis’ room. “I look like a nerd.”</p><p>“What? Marcy, you don’t look like a nerd,” Louis sighed as he turned around, his jaw dropping. “Okay, well I stand corrected. I knew those sweatpants shrunk a little but I didn’t think that much. You do look like a dweeb,” Louis laughed as he walked up to Marcel. “A very sexy dweeb, mind you.”</p><p>Marcel rolled his eyes and kissed Louis’ forehead. “Right. Now I should really go. It’s late and while I don’t have work tomorrow, you do.”</p><p>“Fine but I’m walking you to your car and there is nothing you can do about it.”</p><p>Marcel wanted to protest but Louis looked serious so he stayed quiet as he slipped on his jacket and shoes. They held hands as they walked out of Louis’ apartment and to Marcel’s car. Louis pushed Marcel against the door and kissed him deeply again. </p><p>“Tonight was lovely, you’re lovely, and you have to tell me what your sister thinks about me when you talk to her next.”</p><p>Marcel laughed and kissed Louis softly. “I thought you weren’t worried about impressing her.”</p><p>“I’m not,” Louis lied. “Drive safely and text me when you get home, okay?”</p><p>Marcel smiled and nodded. “I will, goodnight Louis.”</p><p>“Goodnight, baby.” </p><p>◇</p><p>"I need you to try harder and come back to me tomorrow with the new data."</p><p>Marcel closed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. "Sir, with all due respect, the extra time isn't going to change the data. Data is quite incapable of lying."</p><p>"Data can't lie but humans can."</p><p>Marcel's eyes shot open and his jaw dropped. "Are you insinuating that I am lying?"</p><p>"No, I was just stating a fact. We'll talk tomorrow, goodbye." </p><p>Marcel slammed the phone back on the holder and took a long shuddering breath. The client he was working with has been insufferable since the first meeting. Marcel knew it was the disappointment of his business not doing well and Marcel's research of the data wasn't helping the client any. However, it was an insult for the client to infer that Marcel would <em>lie</em> about the analysis of the data. Other than being unethical, Marcel <em>couldn't</em> lie. It's not in his nature, any of his friends or family members could vouch for him. Marcel has tried not to take people's assumptions personally, he knows it is not good for him to be concerned about what people think. However, it causes Marcel to spiral with unhealthy and self deprecating thoughts about himself. The fact that the client assumes Marcel isn't good at his job makes matters worse since Marcel prides himself on being good at what he does. </p><p>"Hey Marcel."</p><p>Marcel looked up from his computer to see his boss, Ben, looking quite upset. "Uhm, hi."</p><p>"I just got off the phone with Bill from Stack Construction. He said he isn't happy with the data."</p><p>Marcel couldn't stop his laughter. "Yeah that's because the data is proving what he knows to be true, his business is failing."</p><p>"Are you sure?"</p><p>Marcel frowned and turned to face Ben fully. "Am I sure? Of course I'm sure. You know how hard I work Ben, you know I collect more than enough data to make the analysis. Did Bill tell you he thinks I'm lying?" Ben's silence proved enough of an answer for Marcel. "Right and you think I am too?"</p><p>"I think mistakes happen and Bill is angry enough, I want you to run the numbers again."</p><p>Marcel opened his mouth to open but closed it and pursed his lips. "Right, I'll get right on it."</p><p>Marcel waited for Ben to leave to release a frustrated groan. He took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes roughly. Before he could get to work on recollecting the data he knew to be true, his cell phone started to ring. Without looking at who was calling, Marcel answered.</p><p>"Hello?"</p><p>"Hello to you too, darling."</p><p>"Shit," Marcel sighed. "Sorry angel, I didn't look to see who was calling."</p><p>Marcel heard Louis chuckle and it made Marcel genuinely smile. "It's alright babe. I'm sure you are busy but I just got another email from the merch supplier wondering if we should go forward with the designs. I was just wondering if we could go over what you found soon."</p><p>Marcel rubbed his temple with his free hand. "Yeah, we can. I just don't know how soon Louis. This client is being a pain in the ass and I want to get it to you soon, I just," Marcel trailed off. </p><p>"If it's too much, don't worry about it babe. It's not a big deal, I'm not even paying you for your work which I should but you won't let me," Louis laughed. </p><p>"I can handle it Louis. I have worked on multiple projects at once before."</p><p>The second the words were out of his mouth he wanted to take them back. It was harsh and uncalled for. Before he could even attempt to apologize, Louis was talking again. </p><p>"Right, yeah okay Marcel. I wasn't insulting your work ethic. I was trying to tell you that the work you're doing for me isn't worth the stress and your work for your job is obviously more important. But yeah no, get an attitude with me it's <em>fine</em>."</p><p>"It's been a shit day Lou-"</p><p>"We all have shit days Marcel, that doesn't mean we take it out on our boyfriends. Whatever, I'll talk to you later. Forget about the data, you have more important things to do." Louis hung up without giving Marcel a chance to say anything else. </p><p>"Fuck!" Marcel yelled in frustration and dropped his phone on the desk. </p><p>The first time Marcel heard Louis refer to him as boyfriend was during an argument, of all things. An argument that didn't need to happen if Marcel hadn't snapped at Louis. He should apologize, he knew he should and yet the thought of calling Louis or even texting him made him feel feverish with embarrassment and shame. Marcel turned his phone off and tossed it in one of his desk drawers and got to work.  </p><p>At the end of the work day, Marcel finally turned his phone back on and wasn't surprised to see Louis hadn't tried to call or text him. Before he left the office, he texted Louis (<em>I'm really sorry for earlier. I promise I will give you a better apology in person. Don't go forward with the merch yet, I want to talk to you about it. I'm sorry again, Louis</em>) and hoped for a response back. By the time he got in bed much later in the evening, he still didn't hear from Louis. </p><p>There have only been a few times Marcel has asked for his bosses help since getting a promotion and this was one of those times. He recollected the data and redid the analysis and held a private meeting with Ben to go over what he found so they were on the same page. After a frustrating and loud meeting with Bill from Stack Construction, Marcel took a half day. He collected his things and left the office with the excuse of a doctor's appointment. </p><p>With flowers and lunch in hand, Marcel walked into Far Away Tattoos with a racing heart and sweaty palms. There was someone new at the reception desk and Marcel worried this interaction would go just as poorly as the one with Abbie did. </p><p>"Hey, how can I help you?" The woman asked with a friendly smile.</p><p>"Yeah, hi, uhm, I'm here to see Louis."</p><p>"Did you have an appointment?" The woman asked, looking at the computer. "I don't see anything here."</p><p>"Oh uh, no. No appointment, I'm uh, I'm his boyfriend?" </p><p>"Oh!" The woman smiled. "That makes a lot more sense than an appointment I didn't know about. He isn't busy if you want to go back there," the woman offered. </p><p>"Well, uhm," Marcel blushed. "Can you just go get him?"</p><p>Fortunately she agreed without a question and Marcel thought about what he was going to say. The second Louis was in front of him, Marcel forgot everything. Louis was as gorgeous as always; his hair was down and framing his high cheekbones beautifully. He was wearing one of Marcel's shirts he stole from him the last time they hung out; Marcel tried to teach Louis how to cook blueberry buckle which ended in a food fight and Louis having to borrow clothes. </p><p>"What are you doing here?" Louis asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "It's the middle of a work day."</p><p>"Yeah, uh," Marcel stuttered. "Uhm, I took the afternoon off. I wanted to see you and apologize in person."</p><p>Louis bit his bottom lip and nodded. "Are those for me?" Louis asked, pointing to the purple hyacinths. </p><p>"Yes," Marcel handed them over to Louis. "They mean forgiveness."</p><p>Louis smelled the flowers and held them against his chest. "No one has given me flowers before."</p><p>"That's a shame," Marcel frowned. "You deserve flowers."</p><p>Louis smiled softly and smelled the flowers again. "Let's go to my office."</p><p>Once inside Louis' office, Louis set the flowers on the desk and Marcel set his things and their lunch by his chair. Marcel turned to face Louis and reached out to hold his hand before he pulled back. </p><p>"I shouldn't have snapped at you on the phone," Marcel spoke gently. "I was in a poor mood and I shouldn't have taken it out on you."</p><p>"So why did you?" Louis frowned. "You have to know I wasn't asking for the information right then and there. I know your other work is more important."</p><p>"It's not though. I mean, I guess it should be because I get paid to do it but Louis," Marcel sighed. "You mean so much to me already and I want to help you. I was in a shit mood and took it out on you. I can't promise I will never do it again but I will always apologize."</p><p>"With flowers and lunch?" Louis asked, a soft smile on his lips. </p><p>"Yes," Marcel smiled. "And sincerity."</p><p>"And maybe kisses?" Louis asked, blushing softly. </p><p>Marcel worried his bottom lip in between his fingers. "I can kiss you?"</p><p>"I expect them since you're apologizing."</p><p>Marcel stood up and walked over to Louis and placed his hands gingerly on his neck. "I'm sorry," he whispered as he kissed Louis' forehead. "I'm sorry," he repeated kissing Louis' closed eyelids. "I'm sorry," he kissed his cheeks. "I'm sorry," he kissed his nose. "I'm really sorry," he kissed Louis' lips. Louis sighed into the kiss and smiled causing Marcel to giggle as he pulled away. </p><p>"For what it's worth, I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have ignored your text. I was just angry."</p><p>"And you had every right to be," Marcel agreed. </p><p>"I can be stubborn," Louis told Marcel. "And I don't always take the time to listen to what you are saying and I certainly don't always take the high road when I should. I'll snap right back and it might take me a moment to get off my high horse but I will always want to make things right and actually talk about things and what went wrong and work through it."</p><p>"I appreciate that Louis, I really do. I want us to work through our problems even if we're dicks to each other in the moment."</p><p>"Me too," Louis smiled. "So why did you have a shit day?"</p><p>"Oh," Marcel sighed. "A client didn't like the analysis I was giving him and I understand why, his business is going under. But he requested I do the work all over again and insinuated Iwas lying about the data I collected. Then my boss kind of agreed with him and I was angry," Marcel explained. "I have a hard time not taking things personal and for them to think I would lie about my work, I was very frustrated and I started to feel sorry for myself. So when you called and wanted the work I did for you, I wanted to be able to give it to you correctly and I didn't want you to think I wasn't taking it seriously."</p><p>"I know you do," Louis smiled. "I know you take your job seriously. I'm sorry they made you doubt yourself. That really sucks."</p><p>"It did, yeah," Marcel agreed. "I had a meeting with my boss to go over what I found and prove I'm right, basically. I also had him sit in on the meeting with the client for back up."  </p><p>"Did it go well?" </p><p>"As well as you would expect for someone finding out their business is failing. I brought my laptop though, I want to explain what I found. Do you have time?"</p><p>"Yeah, I took an admin day today. Can we eat while you explain? I'm starved."</p><p>Marcel laughed and nodded. "Of course we can."</p><p>While Marcel set up his laptop, Louis got their lunch ready and they sat close together while they ate and Marcel started to explain what he discovered. </p><p>"I was looking forward to making shirts but you're right, it's too risky right now."</p><p>"I uhm," Marcel pushed his glasses further up his nose. "I had an idea actually. I'm not creative at all so this idea might be shit and you don't have to go through with it."</p><p>"Okay," Louis laughed. "What is it?"</p><p>"Stickers," Marcel said with a shrug. </p><p>"Stickers?"</p><p>"Yeah and maybe buttons? They are cheaper to make and produce, I looked it up. The margin of loss if they don't sell is far less than t-shirts. Depending on public interest, you could determine if you want to move forward or not and make shirts."</p><p>"That's brilliant," Louis grinned. "That's such a good idea Marcel." </p><p>Marcel preened under the praise. “You really think so?”</p><p>“Absolutely. I could get all the tattoo artists to design something so we all have artwork being displayed. I can also do our logo,” Louis listed off and faced Marcel. He took Marcel’s cheeks in his hand and gave him a sloppy kiss on the lips. “You’re a genius.” </p><p>Marcel giggled and pushed Louis away from him when he tried to keep planting open mouth kisses to his face. “Stop it,” Marcel giggled.</p><p>“I won’t do it and you can’t make me,” Louis teased as he tried to pull Marcel into him again. </p><p>Marcel rolled his eyes and pushed his chair further away from Louis who immediately pouted. “Is that anyway to treat me?” Louis pouted. “You call me your angel, and you push away from me.”</p><p>“You called me your boyfriend for the first time in an argument,” Marcel raised an eyebrow at Louis as a challenge.</p><p>“I-” Louis stopped himself. “Are you not?” </p><p>Marcel grinned and nodded. “Yeah, I suppose I am.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Let me know what you think, please. :) You can reblog the fic post (here) and listen to the playlist for the fic <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/08iTEkNj65NTaDo8K808YO?si=a3wBJinkT0CcBEe0OQLIFQ">playlist</a>. Thanks for reading!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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